Sometimes there is no justification for certain things we take up. It is later that we realize how that chance initiative of ours has resulted in some subtle change in ourselves. Synchronicity anyone?
Many years back during the interregnum between leaving college and taking up my first job, I decided to learn playing harmonica. I always had this panache towards learning either guitar or harmonica. I felt that if you could play them, you would be perceived as a romantic guy. I know I was stupid and a dreamer too - a very dangerous combination by any standards! I tried my hands(read fingers) at the six strings, but somehow could not do much there. Rather I was quite pathetic.
I had been gifted a harmonica a couple of years back. I had tried it couple of times and the only sounds that came out of it would depress anyone around. Soon I gave up. Does not matter man let this world consider me non-romantic.
And then one day I googled to find if there was any material available on harmonica. Let me be a little clearer. I did not do it for learning any quick fixes or lessons but just that I thought I have nothing useful to do anyway, why not search on google. Synchronicity anyone? Did not know that the best is yet to come. I stumbled upon harmonica.com website. God has his means to protect music lovers(read romantic guys in my case!). If it were not for this website, I may have given up harmonica too.
The first line on the site was phenomenally appealing and encouraging. It said - "An Instrument for Everyone. Everyone Can Play!
Notice the second part - everyone can play. I got the gyst of life here(hey hey). As Cranberries in one of their most popular albums have put it - "Everybody else is doing it, so why can’t we". I decided to turn over a new leaf and be patient and sincere(again 2 very difficult qualities to inculcate if you do not have any). But I learnt! There came a time when I was playing well.
The site harmonica.com did not just teach me that very basic lesson in life, it offered me so much more that I may not be able to do full justice here. I will give it a try. They offer an excellent book(as a free downloadble PDF) wherein they mention some of the coolest things you can do with your harmonica. You just have to ask a question about harmonica on their site. I still remember I asked something about how to maintain a harmonica even though there is one full section on the same. I was a little impatient in getting the book fast(Yes I can be pathetic and selfish - what to do?).
I just loved some of the things they talked about in the book. Some of them I was practicing anyway. Like we were a bunch of friends who would get together and play instruments and sing. I would announce my arrival by playing harmonica! This is something they tell you in that book. Another excellent one from the book is to gift harmonica to people. Well believe me harmonica is one of the best gifts you can give. I have given harmonica to a few I know and they have just loved it. I have always followed it up with an offer to teach them as well! There are some other nice ones too in that book.
The site offers brilliant information on the family of harmonica instruments. You can get everything from diatonic to chromatic to tremolo etc. Name it and that type will find a mention there as well as its features. There are some excellent lessons for the beginners.
The site lists many stores from where you can get genuine instruments and which one may suit your style of playing. It gives exhaustive steps to ensure proper maintenance of your harmonica. So to all the youngsters like me - who have given up being romantic err I mean given up harmonica, this is the website to visit. You will come back a determined and a learned person.
You will fall in love with your harmonica and in turn fall in love with music. The notes of the keys F#, D, E or F - let them float around you, kiss you as you kiss your harmonica and let them melt away.