eli5: How do harmonicas work? Like how does it get that crunchy sound?
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You’ve basically got a whole rack of whistles strapped together, each with a slightly different pitch than it’s neighbors. Because they’re so tightly packed you’ll never blow on just one of the whistles, you’ll also get all the whistles next to it.
The harmonica is made of a series of holes, the most common type has 10 holes. Inside each hole are 2 reeds, one that is activated when you exhale (or “blow” in harmonica terms) or inhale (or “draw”). Each of the reeds are different lengths, each length corresponding to a different musical note. This gives you about 20 different notes that you’re able to play (some of the reeds are duplicated, that’s why it’s not exactly 20).
Similar to the piano, the lower notes are on the left side of the instrument and the higher notes are on the left side. However on the more common type of harmonica you normally see (called a “diatonic” harmonica) the only notes available to you are the ones from a particular major scale. So a “C” harmonica will give you the option to play any note from the C major scale, an “A” harmonica will give you notes from the A major scale, etc. There are also “chromatic” harmonicas that allow you to play any note.
I’m not sure what you mean by “crunchy” but I’m assuming you mean the raspy tonality that the reeds create, especially on the lower notes. That’s just due to the reeds vibrating in the air flow created by your breath. If that’s what you meant, look videos of a bass harmonica to hear some real “crunch”!
I hope that helps!
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