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Frequently Asked Questions
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Here is a collection of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about playing the harmonica and the Harmonica 4 Kids.com website.
Take a look, you are likely to find your question(s) answered here. |
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- Can anyone of any age, even without a musical background, learn to play harmonica?
Yes.
- Which harmonica (brand) should I buy to follow the lessons on this site?
Hohner, Lee Oskar, Suzuki, and Seydel Harmonica Co.'s all make good 10-hole diatonic harmonicas with numbers imprinted over the holes for around $20- $40 and the difference between them is ultimately a personal preference.
We like the Lee Oskar Major Diatonic (in the key of "C") best for players just starting out. They are consistently good sounding, well constructed (airtight), and easy to play right out of the box. The Lee Oskar harmonicas also feature the 1st position and 2nd position keys (click to HarmonicaLessons.com for "Positions" info) printed on the ends for easy reference. Recommended Hohner models include the Special 20.
- What is a "Standard 10-Hole Diatonic with numbers imprinted over holes"?
See question and answer directly above.
- How can I best support Harmonica4Kids.com?
The content from Harmonica4kids.com is a very small portion of our parent website, Harmonica Lessons.com.
If you and/or your child would like to continue the pursuit of harmonica playing, please consider visiting and becoming a member at Harmonica Lessons.com. Also, feel free to tell your friends about us and request that your other favorite kids websites add a link back to Harmonica4kids.com.
- What about specific suggestions for my child's age group?
Click on any of the links ("AGE 4-7", "AGE 8-11", etc.) in the black strip at the top of every page to receive information to help guide you in making appropriate choices for a child within the specific age group. Please note that maturity levels of kids can vary greatly, all age groupings on this website are merely guidelines.
- Is it ok to hold the harmonica by the ends when just starting out?
Encourage holding the harmonica by the ends with the low notes on the left (like a piano) with the numbers over the holes showing. For more experienced players, Hand Effects can be added after memorizing songs and/or scales (hand effects are taught at our parent site, Harmonica Lessons.com).
- How much should kids practice?
The simple answer is, as much as possible and as much as they want to. 15 to 30 minutes a day is a good amount of time if you can stick with it. "Keep it simple! Make it fun!", the most important rule for improving at anything at any age. The "Fun" factor keeps 'em coming back for another day of play and practice.
- Do you recommend having the parent learn harmonica along with the child?
Yes, you both may have more fun if you and your child learn to play harmonica together. With a bit of practice, you can play simple melody duets ("Row, Row, Row Your Boat" comes to mind).
- Will a harmonica key other than "C" work at this site?-You should note that all keys of standard diatonic harmonicas are layed out and played the same way. That is, if you already own a standard 10-hole diatonic in a key other than the key of "C" (like an "A" or "D" for instance), it will work for the instruction and songs on this site. But, make the key of "C" your next purchase.
- Do you have "Printer-friendly" pages?
No, but if what you want to do is print out a song and only the song from the page, all you need to do is "Right-click" (Control-Click for Mac) on the song itself and select "Open Image in New Window" (or something similar depending upon which web browser you are using). This will open the song image up in a separate window that you can now print from.
- I have more playing questions. Where can I go when I need more instruction, tips, songs, etc.?
If it hasn't already been made painfully clear, Harmonica 4 Kids.com is only a small portion of our parent website, Harmonica Lessons.com. Everything you need to continue learning can be found there. The members section of Harmonica Lessons.com has active Discussion Forums where you can get personalized help by the site author and founder, Dave Gage, and as well as from fellow members. The forums, as is the entire website, is rated "G". All are welcome.
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