A Beginner's Guide to Positions on Harmonica

[@HarmonicaRevolution]

🌟Download the scale cheatsheet: bit.ly/scalesheet

[@justaweeb9086]

Had a harmonica for over a year now, You're the first guy to actually explain Positions clearly and detailed. I've progressed more in a few weeks than I have over the past year after I discovered your videos! I give my deepest thanks as an aspiring multi-instrumentalist.

[@UURevival]

I'm still struggling. Position sounds like you're supposed to physically hold it a different way. This makes it sound like its playing a different Key by playing in a different pattern. So it really Pattern 1,2,3.... (I'm still not sure if that right lol)

[@greasemonkeymobile]

You're a great teacher! Thanks for not holding info back. Cheers

[@nickquejada]

Helpful. Found a lot about where positions start - cool, but not all that useful knowing just where the tonic is; but not a whole lot about how positions are conventionally used. Thanks.

[@ArieSne]

Thank you very much, you explain great!

[@douglastibbitts6817]

As an old man must say you are talented in the ways of getting me to understand the lesson. That my young friend is quite a feat . Thank you.

[@HarmonicaRevolution]

Thanks!

[@joelpowerharp6851]

I’m 72 and I’ve been playing for 23 years and I’m right there with you. I’d say we play intuitively. So long as I know the key of the tune I can play it. I generally play cross harp but have performed playing 3rd and 5th positions. There I just need to know what holes to skip. I sit in with bands playing a variety of music and am always excited to do that on chromatic. I suppose I’d be better at some stuff if I master theory but I’m fine just playing the damn things. How many of the early gods of blues and rock harp understood positions? I’m not knocking those who know the theory.

[@olliitkonen7942]

Thanks again Jonah.

[@matthewtucker8994]

Great info

[@cincinnatipedalsteel4347]

So I’ve been playing just over a month. I was struggling with bends. Then it just clicked the other night. What I did was just relaxed and started drawing in air lightly and I closed my eyes. As I thought about the note dropping, my tongue dropped downward and the floor of my mouth dropped. I felt my Adams Apple drop really low. I think this was my tongue jumping up slightly (it doesn’t take much). I just stopped trying so hard to bend. Also I had to make sure the back of the harp wasn’t dripping to the floor because this was cutting the air off slightly that went into the hole.

[@MoniqueCoutoVlog]

Hi from Brazil, jonahh ☺️ bro, if i know the position notes… to improvise im gonna use just the group of its notes and it could have a different order, right?

[@HarmonicaRevolution]

Exactly that, you got it

[@MoniqueCoutoVlog]

@@HarmonicaRevolution Hey jonaaaah! Got one more question for ya! Is tongue blocking really essential for playing the harmonica? Or can we get by just using the pucker embouchure? I'm asking 'cause it seems like there are a bunch of techniques that need tongue blocking, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it! I'm not sure if I should stick with what I'm doing now and switch to tongue blocking later when I'm better... but I'm worried I'll get stuck using only my lips and won't be able to master tongue blocking

[@HarmonicaRevolution]

@@MoniqueCoutoVlog it's not essential, but as you said, you're missing out on a few techniques that really improve your tone (some also just make the harp more fun to play). My suggestion is to just start working on it slowly, and once you are at a skill level that matches your puckering ability, then you fully switch over. Some players also switch between them both freely, but that's too much thinking for me personally.

[@swedenharmonica2076]

So I play 2and and cam just play dise and it will always sound good?

[@calamityferret7188]

So while binging this before my harmonica even arrives: If there's a bend in the scale and you want to play that note, do you just have to know how far to bend by practice to hit that note from the start without bending "into" it? Coming from guitar that seems pretty difficult.

[@HarmonicaRevolution]

Yup that’s exactly it, you learn how to bend to specific tones through practice and developing your muscle memory.

[@lars-andersjohansson4377]

Why is crossharp 2pos when it starts on the fift.

[@ChromaticHarp]

Fifth

[@mark001stj]

Perhaps different brains work differently but as a professional harmonica player, I have always thought that learning scales and the names of chords on a harmonica just a waste of time and a major distraction from learning to play. I certainly know the root chord of any given harmonica (ha, it's written on the harmonica) but I don't need it to play on the song. I get the key of the song and determine if the song suits 1st, 2nd, 3rd position or perhaps several harmonicas. I play totally by ear and accompany most types of music. I can overblow but chose different notes instead as I don't want to fiddle with tweaking the reeds. God help me if I had to answer any questions about the name of a note or what chord I was playing at any given time.

[@HarmonicaRevolution]

Different brains do work differently. I find that the theory helps me organize what I’m doing a little bit better and intentionally make decisions to use certain notes, scales, and techniques. However, if I’m deep in to playing, I’m not really thinking about much besides the music. I like learning the rules to understand things and then letting them go and trusting my intuition when I actually play.

[@mark001stj]

@@HarmonicaRevolution "if I’m deep in to playing, I’m not really thinking about much besides the music." ... this I understand. All the best.

[@daveyfromdownsouth7889]

Music theory just helps you know when to break the rules lol. Its helped me a lot and once you learn some of the basics it applys to any insturment. Every insturment i try to play is suddenly a lot easier because i know what i need to get familiar with to realy use it ​@HarmonicaRevolution

[@northernpeacock]

Sorry, maybe it's not a wise queston, but why is D minor is 3rd position? This key is a parallel to F major, which is 12th position. Is it really convenient to refer to D minor as 3rd position? D major has its own parallel minor (B minor).

[@vinceanderson5349]

Huh??, I have a Special 20 paperweight.

[@mattikarkkainen7267]

Background music is disturbing.