As a beginner only three months into harmonica playing, I basically just pick up the instrument and play by ear. Fortunately, I seem to have a pretty good ear so I rarely ever use tabs. However, terms such as "position" and, "scales" and "key" etc mean nothing to me. I just play, and don't even know what key or position I am playing in. I know this will limit my progress severely so I searched the web for for a site which would give some basic, easy to understand harmonica/music theory and came across this site (I know there are lots of them out there) but this one seems to be pretty good:

http://www.castleincognito.uklinux.net/ ... index.html

I don't know if that link has already been posted here so hopefully I'm not being repetitious. These are the various categories listed on the site. Hope this will be of use to some, if not all of us beginners. The "Bending" categoriy is still under construction.

General Music Theory
Intervals
More on Scales
Harp Theory
More on Chords
Twelve Bar Blues
Harmonica Positions
Bending
Harmonica Scales

that's a nice link, really some interesting stuff in there

Hi Herman. I can answer one of your questions I think.

Of the tunes you have posted that I have listened to, all of them were played in first position. This is normal and makes sense to me because I consider first position to be what I call the "intuative position".

When some one picks up a harmonica for the first time and starts leaning to play it by ear, invariably they will discover and play using the scales of first position.

This also means that the keys to the songs you are playing are the key that is stamped on the harp. If you play a song in first position on a stamped "C" harmonica, the song is in the key of "C".

I will add that there are a whole lot of great musicians on practically all instruments who play solely by ear. For the right sort of person it can be a good way to go.

What an ear playing harmonica player needs to know as far as music theory goes is a good understanding of the so called circle of fifths.

This is needed for determining what key of harmonica is required to play in any of the given positions when you need to play in a specific key.

Fortunately, when you know how to play a tune, the same holes and what needs a draw or a blow note is the same no matter what key of diatonic harmonica you use.

-Vortex.

Thanks Vortex. A least I now know what position, and key I am playing in. I am going to get more into the theoretical aspects of harmonica and music so that I at least have a basic understanding of how things work, musically.

Hi,

Hope this post isn't off topic. I have a recommendation for everyone who wants to learn music theory. Music theory can be very dry, boring, and confusing. Much of my musical experience has been on the piano and when I took Music Theory in college...it was dry, boring, and confusing. Consequently, I didn't do so well. I only pulled a C in the class. I ended up having to teach myself later with a book (linked below).
Now, granted, even a chromatic harmonica is less intuitive than the piano for studying music theory...but theory is very valuable to every musician regardless of instrument. Some aspects of theory may be harder to grasp or to impliment with a harmonica than with a piano or guitar--BUT, if you hope to play with others (in a band or jam session, etc.) someday, you'll want to understand theory...At least generally (you don't need a PhD).

Hands down, THE BEST source for learning music theory that I have found (and I've used this myself and with my guitar student) is Edly's Music Theory for Practical People. It's straight-forward, humorous, and written in layman's terms. It's NOT a dry college textbook.

Having just very recently picked up harmonica, I have been surprised at how much MORE harp players use (and need to use) theory than even the average guitar player. Of all the instruments I've dabbled with or played (and there's a few of 'em) only piano seems to require more theory use on a regular basis. Plenty of guitarist skate by with barely ANY theory understanding...which is one of the reasons (it seems) that harp players need to understand more! The band will kick into a tune and start jamming and you need to know what key it's in to select the right harp! If the guitarist (or whoever) doesn't tell you the key, you may have to figure it out by ear. If you know the key (and you're jamming Blues or something like that) then you'll have to know which harp key is the 4th of the key the band is in so you can play with them (I'm talking about Cross Harp style, of course. I may be wrong on that but that's the understanding I'm getting from reading & listening to blues harpers). Eventually, it seems, a harmonica player who plays with others is going to need to know (or end up wishing they knew) some music theory. That Edly's book is the easiest I've seen.

Hey totallyfrozen,

Thank you for that link.

I have the same experience with that theory - being a pianoplayer too btw. In the meantime i have learned a bit of that theory (motivated via the harp-interest).

I just ordered the book.