The Harmonics of a Harmonica

Physics of Music
Lana Johnston
SPH 3U1
December 2005

The
HARMONICA
• The harmonica is a
small popular musical
instrument
• Play by inhaling or
exhaling over the mouthpiece
• It is in the free reed instrument family
Other Names:
• Mouth harp
• Mouth organ
• French harp
• Mississippi Saxophone
• Harp

The harmonica was first made for only folk music.
Now it is played with different styles of music:
rock, bluegrass, blues, country, Irish, jazz,
classical, etc.
The earliest known harmonica was originally a wind
instrument called a sheng from China. A young
instrument maker discovered this about 1850 in
Germany, and reconstructed it’s design. His name
was Mathias Hohner.
Harmonica History
Hohner is the most popular brand name for the harmonica.

The HARMONICA consists of
many parts:
Comb ~ creates holes where the player
blows
or draws air from, made of wood,
metal or plastic
Reed plates ~ flat metal plates that
surround the comb
Reed plate covers ~ amplifies the sound
that is being made by the vibration of the
reed

REEDS
made of brass or bronze, which are
spaced evenly and fastened at one end
on the inside of the top reed plate, this
leaves one end free to vibrate and create
the right sound, numbers vary depending
on the type of harmonica, standard
harmonicas have ten, there are also
some with double reeds, that are an
octave apart.

Harmonica Harmonics
Low C is the fundamental
or first harmonic (L= 1/2
of wavelength)
This is the second overtone
or third harmonic
C
This C is the first overtone
or second harmonic (L=
wavelength)
The highest C is the third
overtone or fourth harmonic

THE HARMONICA
• There are notes missing
in the standard diatonic
harmonica so that the
harmonica can have a
wider range of notes
• Overblowing or
overdrawing is a
technique that forces
the reed to move faster
creating a higher pitch
• On a diatonic
harmonica:
blow: |C |E |G |C |E |G |C
|E |G |C |
draw: |D |G |B |D |F |A |B
|D |F |A |
• More notes can be
played by “bending”
which creates up to a
semitone higher or
lower then the original
THE HARMONICA

Harmonica
An octave harmonica has two
reeds per whole, they are tuned
one octave apart
Famous people that play the harmonica: Bob Dylan, Mick
Jagger, Robert Plant, Alanis Morissette, Bruce Springsteen,
Neil Young, Stevie Wonder and Mr. Pierce!!

The The Future Future of of
The electric harmonica is a
new discovery that is
improving all the time. It
has an amp cover and is
played the same as an
“acoustic” harmonica.
Harmonicas
Currently a new type of
harmonic is being created.
It is a cross between a
chromatic and diatonic. It
will include all chromatic
notes, and will have the
soul of a diatonic, being
able to overblow,
overdraw and bend notes.

Thanks to Physics…
. . . the harmonica
is one of the few
instruments that
allow people to
express themselves
freely.
. . . harmonicas are
known to be another
voice, being able to
“speak” and share
ones soul with
others.
Thanks to Physics
harmonicas are unique!

THE END
THANKS FOR STAYING AWAKE!

Resources
• http://www.planetharmonica.com/VE/ConseilsBPUK.htm
• http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/antaki/articles/Bahnson%20JASA%
201998.pdf
• http://www.answers.com/topic/harmonica
• http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.musicfol
k.com/images/Features/Harmonica1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://w
ww.musicfolk.com/docs/Features/Feature_Harmonica.htm&h
=150&w=360&sz=11&tbnid=Ovb1YA6bLlUJ:&tbnh=48&tbnw=1
17&hl=en&start=32&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dharmonica%2Bm
usic%2Bnotes%26start%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den
%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
• and my dad!!