Is Playing Harmonica Difficult? We Discuss How Hard It Is To Learn

Harmonica is an exciting instrument with a unique learning curve. While almost anyone can get one to make noise, getting the right notes to play is another story. The difficulty in this instrument lies in the skills needed to master it.

Harmonica is a relatively easy instrument for beginners. Since it is a mouth instrument, all you need to do is blow into the holes to play. This sets the barrier for entry fairly low. The difficulty comes when advancing to more complicated playing styles.

Much like other wind instruments, to play the harmonica well, you need more than just a few puffs of air. Watching the masters play along with a band may make it seem effortless. But, what you don’t see is the impeccable breath control and years of practice. This makes the harmonica hard to master, but how hard is it to play a simple song as a beginner?

How Hard is it to Learn to Play Harmonica?

Even if you have no prior training with a harmonica, chances are you can get some notes out of one. This is due to how the harmonica makes the sound. Basically, when you blow into a harmonica, you move air over the reeds inside the metal casing. These reeds make the noise we hear.

Additionally, these reeds are pre-tuned to specific notes. This is unlike other woodwinds, where the reeds have to be tuned manually. So, when you blow into one of the holes on a harmonica, you get a clean sound from the reed. These “reed holes” are lined up in a specific pattern of notes depending on the type of harmonica you are playing.

For most of us, we can get some good-sounding notes from a harmonica with just a few minutes of practice. This is why it is an easy instrument to start learning. With just a bit of acting and a few consonant notes, you can even trick an untrained ear into thinking you are a pro. The challenge comes when you try to improve your skills.

While it is true that almost any beginner can play harmonica, and with a bit more practice using your nose, to play one well you need to:

• Have proper breath control
• Understand vibrato
• Be precise enough when blowing the reed holes not to play unintended notes.

What are Some Challenges When it Comes to Learning Harmonica?

Once you’ve picked up a harmonica and gotten a few notes to play, what are the next steps to learn the instrument? Here is where things start getting complicated. Like we previously touched on, the harmonica has a unique learning curve. Now that you can make some noise and possibly play a tune or two, what are your next challenges?

Here are a few that most harmonica players will come across:

• Picking the right harmonica – There are several different harmonica types you can choose from, but for a beginner, it boils down to tremolo, diatonic tone, or chromatic.

• Breath control – Compared to other wind instruments, the harmonica is easy to play, but to get both the inward and outward blowing down takes time, control, and lots of practice.

• Bending notes – To pitch bend a note on a harmonica, you need to incorporate your tongue to block the reed hole. Again, this takes a while to get down.

• Endurance – Blowing on a harmonica for more than just a few notes can be tiring on your respiratory system. Always take it slow and build your endurance over time.

Another aspect that is challenging is playing single notes. Since the reed holes are so close together, it can be hard to get just one tone out of the instrument. This gets even more challenging when you are playing in different scales and styles. There is also a bit of music theory involved when you get to the more complicated playing positions.

All of these skills take time and practice to learn. It certainly helps if you already have a musical background, as some music theory will be beneficial as you start progressing. It will help even more if you have already had experience with another woodwind. But, all told, playing harmonica is an attainable goal for most people.

Can You Compare Playing Harmonica With Other Instruments?

A lot of people like to compare the harmonica to other instruments. While this can be a great way to get a sense of how difficult your learning might be, it doesn't quite capture the full picture. Harmonicas are unique instruments. They don’t easily fit in with other woodwinds or any other group, for that matter.

Nevertheless, people often compare harmonica to:

• Other woodwinds
• Guitar
• Piano

When it comes to difficulty, harmonica certainly isn't as hard to learn as piano. With piano, one of the challenges for beginners is to coordinate their left and right hands. Additionally, you will need to learn proper finger placement for larger chords. Harmonica doesn't come with that same challenge. It is more similar to the way one needs to learn guitar.

With guitar, you need to smoothly move chord shapes and not hit dead notes. This, for most people, is not that hard of a task. Certainly not as challenging as playing chord shapes seamlessly on piano. Similarly, harmonica can be picked up and the basics can be learned relatively quickly.

Tips for Practicing

When it comes to practice, some tips can help you progress quickly. Here, consistency is key. Keeping up with a regular practice schedule is paramount to your success. Much like other instruments, with harmonica, you get what you put in. If you want to master the craft, you need to dedicate some time to the art.

All that being said, here are some helpful tips to get you started on your harmonica journey:

• Don’t be too hard on yourself – Once you reach the challenging stages of practice, it is easy to get down on yourself. Just remember that it takes time to learn and be proficient.

• Set a minimum practice time – It is good to set a timer when you practice; 5-10 minutes should be fine in the beginning.

• Practice consistently – Keeping a practice schedule and sticking to it is the best way to progress on time.

• Keep harmonicas handy – Since they are so portable, you can keep one in your pocket or bag at all times. When the urge comes up to practice, you have one on hand.

• Practice breath control – This is great because you don’t even need a harmonica, just learn some breathing patterns that will help you master control.

• Find other people to play with – One of the best ways to progress your musical skills is to play with other people.

Most of all, you want to enjoy your practice time. Once it becomes a chore, it loses its fun. Remember that music should be an enjoyable experience, so don’t get too caught up in how fast you learn. Much like other instruments, it can take years, if not decades, to truly master the harmonica. So, enjoy the journey, and in time you will get to the level you are reaching for.

Is Playing Harmonica Difficult? Final Thoughts

Harmonica is an interesting instrument to learn. It has a unique learning curve where it is easy to learn the basics but ramps up in difficulty as you progress. Understanding the skills needed to play well and keeping a consistent practice schedule is key to becoming proficient. But, with some time and a half-hour, a day and you can be jamming out soon enough.