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Harmonica
Do you live on Lonely Street? Ain't got no bread? Perhaps your baby has left you. Whatever your problem, you can tell the world by learning how to play the harmonica.
The modern harmonica was developed by 16-year-old Christian Freidrich Ludwig Buschmann in 1821, although the Chinese had a similar instrument called the Sheng, which was in existence as far back as 3000 BC. Buschmann's harmonica didn't come to popularity until 1857, when a clock maker called Matthias Hohner began mass producing the instrument. In 1862, he introduced it to the US, which really solidified Hohner's position as the world leader in harmonica production. By 1887, the company was producing one million instruments a year.
There are two main types of harmonica - the chromatic and the diatonic. The diatonic harmonica typically has ten holes, with two reeds in each hole. One reed is played by exhaling (blow) and the other by inhaling (draw). All diatonic harmonicas are tuned to a particular key of music - the most common is tuned to the key of C. The harmonica includes all the natural notes that go with the scale, but not any sharps or flats in between. However, you can make additional notes on the diatonic harmonica by 'bending' - playing notes at a lower pitch. To bend a note, you alter the shape of the inside of your mouth as you play. This technique produces the blues style of music that this harmonica is famous for.
The chromatic harmonica is a more versatile instrument. It is available with a variable number of holes - eight, ten, twelve and fourteen. With it, you can play the major scale in any key and you can play all the semitones in between by pressing a button on the side. However, bending notes is more difficult with the chromatic so if you want to play the blues, then you might be better off with the diatonic.
The 1920's were a golden time for the harmonica. Advances in recording techniques meant that the music of blues, jazz and country bands, all of which used the harmonica as a major instrument, could be bought by the masses. It was also during this period that an American philanthropist called Albert Hoxie began to organise harmonica contests and harmonica bands, kick-starting a national craze. By the 1930's, harmonica instruction was part of the curriculum in many American public schools.
However, with the outbreak of World War II, it became temporarily impossible to import harmonicas from Germany to the United States and many harmonica bands were forced to dissolve as their members enlisted in the armed forces. Harmonicas came back into popularity in the 1960's, when the folk music craze led thousands to take up the instrument. The harmonica's popularity was also enhanced by the fact that many of the hugely popular bands of the time, such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds, all incorporated the instrument in their music.
Since the 1960's the harmonica has waxed and waned in popularity - for example, in the 70's, its popularity declined as both blues and rock music was dominated by guitars. However, in the 90's, a revival of traditional country music made the harmonica popular once again. Whether the Noughties will be a boom decade for the instrument has yet to be established. However, this is all the more reason to get yourself some tuition - when the revival comes, you will be perfectly placed to exploit the situation...
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