How do harmonica holders work

This allows greater control over the harmonica height and angle than the simpler harmonica holders. The clamps fits over the ends of the harmonica. The challenge however is keeping good pressure between the harmonica and your mouth without your hands.

This pressure is essential for good tone and accurate playing. For this reason I prefer a more robust harmonica holder, where the instrument remains close to your mouth when you press against it. I use the Hohner holder shown above, it is strong and keeps the harmonica where I want it.

It is crucial that the wing nuts at the joint of the harmonica holder do not slip. When they do, the harmonica moves away from your mouth, and so does your music. To avoid this problem I insert homemade plywood washers into the joints, as shown in the photo. A large metal washer sits on the outside of the each plywood washer, a non slip washer sits under each wingnut.

I tighten each wingnut as much as possible, the harmonica then stays where I want it. Another approach is to spend more and get the Hohner Flex Rack. As the photo shows, the height, angle and position of the instrument are adjustable.

This should keep the harmonica in place, even after the audience has gone…. An alternative to strapping a rack around your neck is to use the Harp Hugger. As the picture shows, this attaches to a mic stand, with clips for a mic under the harmonica and another mic for vocals. Very nice. There is also a harp hugger which attaches to a fiddle. Put your guitar aside for now.

Put the holder around your neck, stand in front of a mirror and insert the harmonica. Now look straight into the mirror and slide the harmonica so the the 4 hole is directly under your nose. The instrument will be slightly off centre, that is how you want it. Most players hit the 4 hole draw note to begin with, this way you can play it without turning your head. If you play mostly blues, then line the harmonica up so the the 3 hole is directly under your nose. No, i know its gonna be pretty hard to do, but I'm not sure that i'm even putting the harmonica in the rack right, theres something you push down and put the harp in between this and the top of the rack if i'm doing it right, but then when i try to play the harmonica always ends up falling out, sometimes without my touching it.

CR Member since Jan 31 posts. I could use some tips on using a neck rack too.. I've tried all different positions when tightening the wing nuts down on the sides and no matter the angle, I feel like I have to lean too far forward and crick my shoulders to reach it. Any suggestions? Quote Still no replies Basically, they all kinda suck. It's just a matter of which one sucks the least for you. It is built of sturdy materials, but lacks a tightening wingnut on one side, so any amount of pressure makes the harmonica move away from your mouth.

I even drilled out the riveted side and put in another wingnut, but it didn't help much. Also, the harmonica is held into the tray so tightly by the springs on either side, I find it difficult to switch harmonicas quickly. I don't recommend it. The HH is designed specifically for diatonics, but doesn't allow right to left positioning of the harmonica the width of the tray is the same as the length of the diatonica. Therefore, you are stuck playing the harmonica in the position Hohner thinks you should play it in.

I would rather move the harmonica to the right as far as possible so I can center on hole 2 draw for playing 2nd position which is what I primarily do. Also, the angle of the harmonica to your mouth is bad. The angle should be such that you can blow the straight through the hole instead of focusing the air downward, which by default, you must do with this neck rack. The other Hohner model, HH, is just plain silly.

It is designed for harmonicas larger than a standard diatonic up to 7. When was the last time you saw someone with a neck rack play a harmonica that wasn't a standard hole diatonic? In 25 years, I don't think I ever have. If you try to use one of these with a regular diatonic, you won't have much luck.

They don't fit very well or stay in place. AG gigs. AG music "Southbound". Gussow's music videos. Nat Riddles. Blues Jams forum. I'm a harmonica beginner. I have recently tried playing with a harmonica holder simple one, nothing fancy and find it much more difficult to play single notes or bend. I'm not proficient in accurate bends anyway, but I can do some draw bends.

So far I have only tried with a Suzuki Harpmaster because of its key I don't have a large selection of harmonicas. Did anyone have a similar experience when first trying to play the harmonica using a harmonica holder and did it get easier with practice?

Last Edited by mrjohn2 on Dec 07, AM.