Marcos Habif - How To Play Harmonica Instantly

ISBN: 9781483517421

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

History portion and photographs are courtesy of Hohner Harmonicas.

I would like to dedicate this book to my loved ones, associates and friends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Out of perhaps millions of harmonica lovers the world over, only a dozen or so are recognized virtuosos. Marcos is, and has been for over ten years, a recognized virtuoso on harmonica. His musical performances have made it into every possible music-media formrecords, film scores, television, performing with superstars of all types of music. Virtuoso says it all!

He attended UCLA on a scholarship for Film Scoring and Orchestration. He is sought after by many harmonica lovers and students for instruction on his insights and techniques. Whether you know it or not, you've probably heard him playing harmonica at one time or another, and you will again. He wrote this book for harmonica lovers everywhere to share the simple beauty of his unique methods for learning to play harmonica with his own self-styled expertise.

I applaud this book and the fine musician who wrote it. I highly recommend it to all levels of harmonica players.

Barry R. Brownlee

TV Producer, Award winning writer

PLAY TODAY

You will be playing songs you know and love by the time you've finished the first small section of this book. Even if you can't read music and have never played a musical instrument, you'll find the easy steps will make you a musician almost immediately. The first section is called GETTING THE FEEL, and it is designed to make it easy for you to play real music out of your harmonica. In no time you'll become intimately familiar with your harp, and tunes will never be elusive again! You will love it.

Those of you who are among the more advanced harmonica players may skip the first section and get to the meatier second section, GETTING GOOD. Devoted to simplicity and ease, this section reveals the tricks and techniques of the pros. Even the exercises are made simple and fun, but they are specifically designed to instill genuine skill with minimal time and effort.

The extra sections contain vintage photos showing the evolution of the harmonicacourtesy of the main source and development of this precision instrument, Hohner. Charts on models available are included along with many easy to follow illustrations. Vital tips on the care and maintenance of the harmonica are also included in the back of the book. And you'll find lots of great songs throughout.

Anyone can learn to play harmonica!

GETTING
INSIGHT

The history of the harmonica is a love story as ancient as music and as contemporary as today. In this section you'll find vintage photographs to go along with the chronological history of the harmonica.

Some important tips on the construction, care, and maintenance round out the section, which includes a photographic breakdown as well as more illustrations. You'll want to keep this section for reference through your years of making sweet music on the harmonica.

HARMONICA HISTORY

Many of us, when we first think of a harmonica, tend to visualize a lone cowboy, leg hooked over his saddle horn as he rides along playing a tune to amuse himself and help keep the cattle from growing restless during a long night on the open range. Or, perhaps, we see the famous Harmonicats tapping to the beat while they play their well known rendition of Peg o My Heart."

But there is far more to the history and versatility of the harmonica than that. It is an instrument loved and played throughout the world by millions of people in a variety of styles ranging from classical to rock to country, blues, jazz and polkas.

The harmonicas history can be traced back to China in 3000 B.C., when Emperor Nyn-Kwa is believed to have created a free swinging reed instrument known as the Sheng. Marco-Polo is credited with introducing this bowl-shaped instrument throughout Europe in the 18th century. In Europe, the harmonica became the forerunner of the reed organ, the accordion, the saxophone and the harmonica.

The Sheng is made from bamboo reeds that vibrate freely when air is blown into it.

The harmonica began to take on its shape and distinctiveness as we know it today when in 1821, a German clockmaker by the name of Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann, put 15 pitch pipes together to form a square instrument four inches on a side. Buschmanns 21-note instrument, which he called the mundaeoline (a German word meaning mouth) had the versatility of piano and cresendo without piano keys.

Soon another clockmaker, Christian Messner, learned how to make Buschmann's little instrument and developed a profitable sideline selling his harmonicas to other clockmakers.

Vintage Harmonicas

However, it was not until 1857 that harmonicas began ot be available on a regular basis. That was when 24 year old Matthias Hohner decided that harmonicas could be produced in larger numbers using factory methods. Hohner opened a small factory in Trossingen, Germany where in his first year of business he, along with his wife and two employees, made 650 harmonicas. There was a growing market for his harmonicas in Europe, but after his cousin immigrated to New York taking a few of the instruments with him, a large portion of Hohner's sales came from the United States.

In America, during the Civil War, the harmonica became an even more popular and well known instrument. It was small and durable, which made it possible for soldiers to carry it with them wherever they went. Also, since it was easy to learn how to play, soldiers from both the North and South increasingly found comfort and pleasure in the melodies and sometimes haunting sound of the harmonicas.

After the war the harmonica continued to grow in popularity, crossing both geographic and economic barriers with ease. As Americans moved west they took harmonicas with them. Because of its shirt pocket size and unique sound the harmonica was popular with the troops patrolling the vast, lonely frontiers and with the pioneers moving slowly but steadily westward to fill that space.