Harmonica History
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The history of the harmonica, also known as the blues harp, the mouth organ and the french harp is a free reed wind instrument and the harmonica is used worldwide in nearly every musical genre, notably in blues, American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. In the history of the harmonica there are many types of harmonicas to choose from such as the diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, octave, orchestral, and bass versions.
The harmonica also know as the harp or blues harp is played by using the mouth (lips and/or tongue) to direct air into and out of one or more holes along a mouthpiece.Directly behind the holes are chambers containing at least one reed. The harmonica reed is a flat elongated spring typically made of brass or bronze, which is secured at one end over a slot that serves as an airway. When the free end is made to vibrate by the player's air, it alternately blocks and unblocks the airway to produce sound.
The reeds on a harmonica are pre-tuned to individual pitches. Tuning can involve changing a reed's length, the weight near its free end, or the stiffness near its fixed end. The longer, heavier and springier reeds will produce deeper, lower sounds; the shorter, lighter and stiffer reeds make a more higher-pitched sound. If, as on most modern harmonicas, a reed is affixed above or below its slot rather than in the plane of the slot, it responds more easily to air flowing in the direction that initially would push it into the slot, i.e., as a closing reed. This difference in response to air direction makes it possible to include both a blow reed and a draw reed in the same air chamber and to play them separately without relying on flaps of plastic or leather (valves, wind-savers) to block the non-playing reed.
A very important technique in performance is bending: this will cause a drop in pitch by making embouchure adjustments. However it is possible to bend isolated reeds, as on chromatic and other harmonica models with wind-savers, but also to both lower, and raise (over-bend, over-blow,overdraw) the pitch produced by pairs of reeds in the same chamber, as on a diatonic or other unvalved harmonica. These two-reed pitch changes actually involve sound production by the normally silent reed, the opening reed (for instance, the blow reed while the player is drawing).
Just about the time of the Civil War the harmonica became increasing popular. Soldiers on both sides of the war along with everyone else that picked one up liked the instrument, and shortly afterward it became ingrained in American folk music.
During First World War, the idea of having a harmonica at the front lines still hadn't died out. German and British soldiers were given harmonicas (by their respective governments, of course) as they marched off to battle.
The years leading up to 1939 were a golden age for the harmonica also know as the harp, Hohner hadn't diversified very much by the time of World War II. Almost all the harmonicas in the world still came out of the small village of Trossingen. What with embargoes being what they are, harmonica imports came to a screeching halt.
After the war the harmonica was back in popularity.
A little more harmonica history a player named Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs figured out that if he played his harmonica through a guitar amp it gave a punchy great new sound and then the harmonica became much more popular to the rock & roll players. Some of them you know today such as Bob Dylan, Creedance Clearwater Revival.
Today the harmonica history is a lot different from when it first started. The Seydel harmonica brand is made in Germany and they have several different types and brands of the harmonica, such as the diatonic harmonica, chromatic harmonica the tremolo and octave harmonica. The Seydel harmonicas are great instruments.
Hohner harmonicas are still one of the most recognized harmonica today they have a complete line of harmonicas such as the diatonic harmonica, chromatic harmonica, tremolo and octave harmonicas and the bass and orchestral harmonicas.
Suzuki harmonicas a a Japanese made harmonica they are very fine instruments and offer a complete line of diatonic harmonicas, chromatic harmonicas, tremolo and octave as well as the bass and orchestral harmonicas.
Lee Oskar harmonicas offer 4 different tunings of the diatonic harmonica and Lee Oskar himself who is a well know player created the brand.
This information harmonica history is just a touch on the History of the harmonica hope you find this interesting. Buy a harmonica today and keep the history alive! harmonica history