THE HARMONICA
The harmonica, like the accordeon and the harmonium, belongs to the family of free metallic reed instruments. It is the only one of such instruments to qualify as a true "mouth organ". A mouth organ is normally made up of an air chamber, tubes fixed inside this chamber, and free metallic reeds set at the bottom end of these tubes. The harmonica of interest here contains a chamber divided into 48 compartments. These compartments, also known as cylinders, are arranged in two rows. They form a set of separate small windpipes in which 48 free metallic reeds are mounted. The harmonica's musical potential is sometimes underestimated, even though jazz musicians have amply demonstrated the true range of this instrument. One has only to call to mind the virtuosi who are able to play the harmonica and the guitar at the same time. The harmonica is played with the lower notes on the left-hand side. The player covers two or three of the harmonica's holes with his tongue while he blows into the next one along. He moves his tongue across the holes to obtain the desired rhythm. The hands play just as important a role as the tongue in the performance. The index finger and the thumb cover one hole after another to obtain different notes. To obtain a tremolo effect, the musician just has to wiggle his fingers. |
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