#MouthHarp February 22

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Today for the 30-Day Musial Instrument Coach4aday Challenge the post is going to feature the MOUTH HARP.

That title is probably not the best name for this instrument most people just call it a Harmonica. It can be classified as a “free reed instrument.” Many harmonica histories begin around 1100 B.C. with the sheng, a Chinese instrument.

Learning to play the Harmonica

I found quite a few links on the web where you can pay someone to teach you how to play the Mouth Harp in 30 days.

Here is an example and here is a second example

List of musicians

I discovered a list of the Greatest HARMONICA players and of course some of my favorite blues artists are included.

As I began looking at the list I was curious if Lee Oskar who produces the unique HARMONICA sounds found on a number of songs done by WAR would be included. He was listed at #26

He makes the HARMONICA sound like a horn to me.

Lee Oskar playing “Low Rider”

Another great harp player on the list at #16 is high energy singer, performer, HARMONICA player Junior Wells. He is often given great for being a pioneer of the amplified mouth harp.

The last artist that the post will profile often shows up on the list of best blues harmonica players.

Alan Wilson was just 27 when he committed suicide. He was one of the co-founders of Canned Heat.

I love the double album Canned Heat and Alan did with John Lee Hooker called Hooker n’ Heat. John Lee Hooker in the video below called “Burning Hell” talks to Alan. In the beginning John Lee tells Alan “I dig your harmonica but I don’t know how you keep up with me but you do”.