How to Clean a Harmonica
- Rinse the harmonica with lukewarm water, then tap it against your hand, with the mouthpiece facing down, to remove any residual water. Leave it out to dry thoroughly afterwards.
- NOTE: this step only applies to harmonicas with plastic, alloy or heavily sealed combs.
Considering this, can you disinfect a harmonica?
You can dunk the whole harp with my comb under soapy water and slosh it around. Rinse it out, tap out the excess water and let it dry. You can use a hair dryer to warm up the inside of the harp to dry it out faster. If you need to disinfect in addition to cleaning, I recommend hydrogen peroxide.
Also Know, how long should a harmonica last? Most go for the latter. With steady playing, a harmonica should go at least 6 months before a reed goes bad. Modern harmonicas seem to last much longer than the older ones.
In this regard, how do you Sterilise a harmonica?
Steps
- Rinse with lukewarm water. If you have a diatonic harmonica with a plastic comb, simply run some lukewarm water through the harmonica.
- Tap the harmonica after each use.
- Let your harmonica dry after playing.
- Clean your mouth before playing.
Can you soak a harmonica?
Hohner does not recommend soaking your harmonica. Dipping most wooden bodied harps in water makes them louder for a short time, but will cause the comb to swell and can easily make the instrument completely unplayable.
19 Related Question Answers Found
Should I clean my harmonica?
Your mouth should always be clean before playing. Prevent food particles, coffee, tea, soda, beer or anything other than water (and the natural moisture from your lungs and mouth) to enter the harmonica. Don’t get drunk and play the harmonica with all your might. Let your harmonica air-dry quickly after playing.
Is playing harmonica bad for your health?
As others have mentioned, as long as you keep your harmonicas clean and don’t let others play them there should be very little risk of detrimental health effects. Conversely, for people with respiratory conditions playing harmonica can be very beneficial for exercising the airways.
What is bending on a harmonica?
1) bending is a way of changing the INTERNAL configuration of your mouth, using your tongue, palate, and throat, so that you apply pressure to the airstream in a way that lowers the pitch of a note. On a diatonic harmonica, draw bends are possible on holes 1 through 6, and blow bends are possible on holes 7 through 10.
Can you tune a harmonica?
Harmonicas can go out of tune with playing, and even new harps straight from the factory aren’t always in good tune. But you don’t have to accept what you get — you can correct out-of-tune notes. Harmonica tuning follows straightforward procedures, but it has some ins and outs that you need to know.
What is the lowest key harmonica?
Many classic blues harmonica cuts are recorded in those keys. The next three keys you get should be G, B-flat, and E-flat. G is the lowest standard harp; except for Dennis Gruenling, almost no harp players record on the low F, low E-flat, and low D harps.
What is the easiest harmonica to play?
10 Best Harmonicas for Beginners – Play the Blues Like You’re in Memphis Hohner Special 20 C Harmonica. Fender Blues Deluxe C Harmonica. Hohner Marine Band C Harmonica. Lee Oskar C Harmonica. Hammond HA-20-C Harmonica. Swan Mini C Harmonica. Anwenk Beginner’s C Harmonica. Mippy Diatonic Blues Harmonica.
Is it difficult to learn the harmonica?
“No, it is not hard to learn to play the harmonica”. There’s lots of great things you do very quickly, very easily on the harmonica that sound wonderful. The biggest advantage with this instrument is its size.
How much does a harmonica cost?
A good beginner, yet still pro quality, 10-hole diatonic harmonica is somewhere between $35-$90. A good quality, chromatic harmonica will cost somewhere between $120-$250.
What is the difference between a diatonic and chromatic harmonica?
There are two main categories of harmonicas: Diatonic – which only contains the notes of a specific scale and are mainly used in Blues, Rock, Country and Pop music. Chromatic – which can play all notes in the chromatic scale and are mainly used in Jazz and Classical music.
What key is a blues harmonica?
It’s best to get a harmonica tuned to the key of C if you’re just starting out. You’ll be able to play up to 3 octaves on a C major scale. Many of the songs you will learn are also tuned to the key of C. Most blues harmonicas are played in what’s called a “second position” or also known as a “cross harp”.
Where are the notes on a harmonica?
In the diagram blow means the note when blowing into a hole, draw means the note when breathing in. This note layout is called the “Richter tuning”, is used for most harmonicas and is shown below. Look at holes 4 to 7. The notes from these holes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, which make up a C major scale.
What is a Marine Band harmonica?
The Hohner Marine Band is a number-one choice among top professionals and one of the most recognizable harmonicas all over the world. Known for its full tone, wood comb, and its patented cover plates, the Marine Band harmonica was there when harmonica blues was born.
What are the different types of harmonicas?
There are three basic types of harmonica; chromatic, diatonic, and the Asian tremolo.
What does diatonic harmonica mean?
Strictly speaking, diatonic denotes any harmonica designed to play in a single key—though the standard Richter-tuned harmonica diatonic can play other keys by forcing its reeds to play tones that are not part of its basic scale.
What is the best diatonic harmonica?
The 10 Best Diatonic Harmonicas Hohner Crossover. REVIEW. Seydel 1847. REVIEW. Suzuki Pure Harp. REVIEW. Seydel Session Steel. REVIEW. Suzuki Promaster. REVIEW. Hohner Special 20. REVIEW. Hohner Golden Melody. REVIEW. 8. Lee Oskar by Tombo. REVIEW.
What are harmonica reeds made of?
The plates and reeds are made from brass. The reeds, in particular, are made from a highly malleable alloy called reed brass that contains around 0.7% zinc.
What is the difference between a harmonica and a mouth organ?
Thanks for the A2A. Wikipedia states that Mouth Organ is a generic term for the family of instruments where the sound is produced by one or several free reeds, the reed(s) being put into motion “by mouth” (blowing or drawing) . The harmonica is one of the members of the family. The accordion is not.
What is second position on a harmonica?
Second Position (cross harp) This is the most commonly used position for playing blues, rock and country. This position consists of mostly draw notes on the low end of the harmonica (holes 1 through 5) and it is important to master bending to play in this position.
How do you clean a blues harmonica?
If your harp has a wooden comb avoid using water or soap – just use the dry brush to clean it. Once the reed plates have soaked for a sufficient time, brush them with a soft toothbrush or similar implement, ensuring that your brush strokes are up and down the reeds, not across them. Rinse with water then dry.