No sound from 2 draw and flat sound from 3 draw
I've been practicing for about 3 weeks with a new Hohner Special 20 in A, and draw 2 and 3 are now hard to draw. 2 draw has no sound and 3 draw sounds extremely flat already. They used to work fine. I'm not drooling in the harmonica when I practice and I'm definately not playing hard and loud. I've even tried the pucker technique and can't get them to sound. I viewed the harp tech lessons on this site and took it apart...there's no debris in the reeds that I can see and they all look normal. They are centered over the comb openings and play when I flick them. Is there anything I can do other than throw it out and buy a new one? These aren't cheap and I certainly can't afford buying a new harmonica every 3 weeks! Thanks.
It seems to play better if I keep my nose open on the draw and closed on the blow. I also took it apart and flicked the 2 and 3 draw reeds so maybe that helped dislodge something I couldn't see. Anyway, it's better now and I just wonder if opening my nose on the draw is ok? Thank you.
That confirms that it is your technique. With the nose open, the location of your tongue (which is offending the reeds) doesn't matter (the tuning of your mouth and nasal cavity are summed).
No, you don't want to play with your nose open (you can imagine how quickly you'll run out of breath... especially since the 2 draw is one of the most-commonly played notes). Work on your tongue location... work on the tips I give you in the video link I sent. It will take time (can take months to get a good-sounding note), but it's a common issue for players to work through.
You'll get it... just give it daily practice and time.
The link you sent hit the mark. I understand it much better now. I was also running out of breath so the FAQ "I run out of breath so easily!" really helped too. Thanks very much for the tips and the wonderful website.
Great news. My pleasure.
I have another question for you. I'd like to get a set of harmonicas to practice with and was wondering if I would have trouble using a cheap set of Hohner 1501 Bluesband (considering I'm already having trouble with the Special 20 and the 2 draw). A set of 7 only costs $40 (which is what I paid for my Special 20).
Hello again joed. I recommend you stay away from the BluesBand... it's not meant for a person seriously studying the instrument (you'll notice a big difference in how they play). The Special 20 is the best bet for a harmonica that's good, but not too expensive. I recommend you build your set as you go. You'll use the harmonica keys, in this order, on the site... A, G, C, D, Bb, Low F.
Thanks. I didn't want to waste my money so I'll wait untill I need them and then buy Special 20's as you suggested.
Sounds like a good plan.
So it's been a month and I'm finally getting some good tone to my 2 draw. What I found helpfull was to tilt my head back which opened my throat and lowered the back of my tongue. Once I knew how my throat and tongue felt I started gradually lowering my head from the tilt. I also tilted the harmonica up more and pushed a little deeper in my mouth. Thanks again for the help and the awsome web site.
That's great, thank you for the update.
Hello joed, welcome to this site. There is nothing wrong with your harmonica, this is a very common issue for new players (70% of new players experience this). Go to https://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq and watch the first video listed, video titled "My 2 draw and/or high-end notes sounds flat, airy or not at all!"