HARMONICA BEGINNERS Questions and Answers!

Here is our quick guide for harmonica beginners:

Option 1: The Diatonic harmonica

If you want to play Blues, Country, Rock or Folk music you most likely want to buy a diatonic harmonica
The diatonic harmonica is a 10 hole model that allows you to play easily in 2-3 keys
You will need to learn how to create a good embouchure and then how to bend notes to create extra notes needed and missing in the instrument.
The standard tuning for diatonic harmonicas is called Richter tuning (not to be mistaken for the Paddy richter tuning that is a special tuned model)

Here is the note layout for the diatonic harmonica in C:

and here is the note layout once you know how to bend and overbend.
Those techniques require a lot of work and many years of practice.

Our best quality price model is the Harmo Polar here:



https://harmonicaland.com/en/harmo-polar-harmonica

It's airtight, designed by a professional American harmonica player, uses phosphore bronze reeds where most competitors use brass that is not as sturdy or bend friendly and has really smooth covers which are perfect for beginners.

If you buy one just get a key of C because that’s the standard key and also because that ‘s the key where reeds have the average length compared to lower keys like G or higher keys like F: C is right in the middle so learning on a C harmonica is the best key to learn on.

A key of C will help you play in C and G

But if you want to play in more keys then you’ll need to purchase couple more keys down the road!
You can wait or take advantage of the discounted bundles for a Polar set of 3 here:
https://harmonicaland.com/en/harmo-polar-set

That includes C, G and A as well as the Gig Bag 7 and a keychain harmonica
That will cover most of the songs you want to accompany in C, D, G, A, E

Or jump in with the Polar set of 5:
https://harmonicaland.com/en/harmo-polar-blues-pro-set-5

It includes harmonicas in the key of C, D, F, G and A as well as the Gig Bag 7 and a keychain harmonica
Those keys will cover all the main songs played in Blues, Folk, Country in:
C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb with 2 options to choose from for each => for instance you could try to play in D with the D or the G.

Option 2: The Chromatic Harmonica


If you want to play Jazz, Classical or Pop melodies we recommend another model called the Chromatic harmonica. The chromatic harmonica gives you all the notes like on a piano without the need to learn special techniques like bending or overbending. You just need to learn how to get a proper embouchure and then you can get started playing beautiful songs.

The standard chromatic harmonica is a 12 hole model in the key of C. There are a lot of models out there in different keys and also chromatic harmonicas in 14 and 16 hole but that’s really not necessary and actually 95% of the professional players use a standard 12 hole chromatic in C when they perform.

We offer a wide variety of options from Hohner, Suzuki, Seydel but if you’re looking for the best bang for the bucks the Harmo Angel 12 is our top choice:
https://harmonicaland.com/en/harmo-angel-12

It's airtight, designed by a professional American harmonica player, uses phosphore bronze reeds where most competitors use brass and is built with a very good quality slider. It’s a professional quality harmonica at a reasonable price.

It also comes in D, G, A Bb and Low C and is available in a 16 hole model if you prefer to go big.

On a chromatic harmonica you blow to get a note, blow and push the slider in to get the same note flat, draw to get another note and draw with slider in to make the draw note flat. Let’s have a look at the note layout of a chromatic harmonica. This tuning is called the solo tuning.

The + sign means you blow or draw while pushing the slider in at the same time
This action will raise the original note a half step up.
AS you can see the layout is pretty similar of the middle part of a 10 hole diatonic but the main difference here is that you won’t have to spend years of practice to get clean flats or sharps … All you have to do is push the slider in.

The chromatic is usually easier to access for people who already play another instrument and also to musicians who are not necessarily interested so much in Blues and the specific sound of bends and overbends.
The chromatic harmonica has a more mellow tone.
A 16 hole chromatic harmonica will give you one more octave in the low register but you could also get a Low C 12 hole and get the first 12 hole of a 16 hole chromatic if you’re not a fan of the upper range that might sound aggressive at times.

3 – How to get started?

The most important technique on the harmonica is called Embouchure. That’s the technique that will help you create beautiful notes and play smoothly. A lot of beginners complain they can’t get all the notes out of their harmonica – sometimes thinking the harmonica is defective – a good embouchure will make you get all the notes clean but also round and warm. That’s the first step towards becoming a good harmonica player.
This lesson by David Herzhaft is the ultimate embouchure lesson that will teach you how to get the perfect tone and what to practice everyday without wasting your time on futile exercises and songs:
https://www.harmonicaschool.com/en/home/203-beginner-lesson-1-embouchure.html

After that you can start working on bends, slowly with this lesson:
https://www.harmonicaschool.com/en/harmonica-technique/172-bending-part-1-unlimited-access.html

Harmonicaland wishes you the best in journey to the wonderful musical world of the harmonica!

We ship orders within 24h 
We ship Monday to Friday before 12pm Eastern Time.
If you place an order in the morning it might ship the same day, if you place an order in the afternoon or later it will ship the next business day.
Express orders for overnight shipping ship the same day if they are placed before 1pm Eastern Time.

For US Customers:

We ship harmonicas within 24h 
Cutoff time is 12pm ET except for USP overnight 1pm ET
- If you select Free shipping at checkout it will take between 4 to 6 business days to get to you

- If you select Priority shipping it will take 2 business days in 90% of the cases and 3 days for AK, HI some remote locations and some instances when USPS is slower than usual to process the order.

- If you select UPS overnight it will take 1 business day

For International orders:

We ship harmonicas within 24-48h 
If you select USPS slow shipping it will take anywhere between 10 days to 60 days to be delivered
It's a very wide window and depends a lot on your country and customs
European countries, Canada tend to be closer to 10-20 days
If you select Fedex Economy it will take between 4 to 8 business days to get to you
If you select DHL it will take 3 to 5 business days

For international orders the delays we give are realistic and accurate but there are rare instances when it takes longer usually because of customs clearance or carrier delays. that are out of our control.

Harmonicaland ships harmonicas all over the USA and in any Country in the world
If your address is on Google maps we ship there!

If you have any issue at checkout with your address please contact us via the chat or email and we'll figure out a way to get your order going

For the USA we offer Free shipping to all 50 states as well as APO addresses
Free shipping is USPS and usually takes 4 to 6 days

For faster delivery, we offer USPS Priority shipping and UPS overnight at an extra cost that varies based on your order
Once you add your products to the cart and start checkout you will see shipping options and prices

You can also use our Estimate calculator on the product page to estimate your shipping options before going to checkout

We ship harmonicas all over the world in a timely manner!
The price varies based on your location and the shipping option you select
It starts with USPS slow international around $14.90 depending on your location
The option we currently recommend for any International order is Fedex Economy
It is pretty fast, Fedex handles customs on your behalf and is very safe
Our fastest option is DHL starting at around $35 and up (again depending on your location) and can deliver as quickly as in 3 business days.

To Estimate your delivery date and cost you can use our Estimate calculator on the product page or go to checkout and select one of the 3 options you will see as displayed in the screenshots below

We Accept all debit cards, credit cards and Visa gift cards directly on the website.
VISA. MASTERCARD, AMEX, DISCOVERY etc ..
We also Accept Paypal, Google Pay and Apple Pay.
We also offer Paypal pay later option to pay in 4 installments.

You will see these options at checkout, just select the one you wish to use.

Yes you can easily add multiple addresses to your account and use any of them for billing and delivery!

You can do it directly when checking out or you can create an account or sign in first it's up to you.

When you check out you will see this form, please fill it out.
We recommend adding a password to create an account instead of checking as a guest.



Then you'll go to step 2 where you can add as many addresses as you want
Add the address one by one 
Once done just select the address you want to use for Billing and the one you want to use for Delivery

The last step at checkout is Payment
Here you can select Credit card or Paypal
We accept all types of credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discovery, Amex, Visa gift cards

95% of the time everything will work well but sometimes you might face some problem while trying to pay with your credit card.
In this case please try the steps below:

1 - Make sure all the numbers are correct
2- Make sure you TICK the box I Accept the terms and conditions
3 - Once you hit the PLACE YOUR ORDER button WAIT about 30 seconds
That's the time it takes for the website to communicate with the credit card processing and your bank to authorize the transaction
While you wait DO NOT refresh or close the Window just wait until the website redirects you to the Confirmation Page
4 - If there's a problem with your card like Insufficent funds, Card declined etc you will see a message in Red appear
In this case please call your bank

5 - If you're still having problems but nothing looks out of the ordinary you can try to Pay with your credit Card through Paypal as described below. You do not need a Paypal account to do this just a credit card
6 - If everything fails => Contact your bank or call us and we'll try to process it directly or give you more info as about why it doesn't go through.

Ordering harmonicas has never been easier!
Once you found the harmonica you want select the Key from the scroll down menu KEYS.
Once the Key is selected you will see the in stock availibility update and you can click on ADD TO CART.
Repeat this step as many times as needed. IF you want to order a C, D and F repeat this process 3 times and you will see3 products in the cart.
If you want to add another product just add the first one to the cart then go to the next product page and do the same!

There are 2 ways to navigate Harmonicaland:
1 - Use the search bar - recommended when you know exactly what you want
2 - Use the menu with categories this way you'll also find other products from the same category that could be of interest

USING The SEARCH BAR - Eezy Peezy

Just type in the search bar the mode name or product name you're looking for
No need to enter the full name for instance for Suzuki promaster typing promaster is enough
Immediately the most relevant products will show up and you can click on any of these or if you want to see the full list of results click on the Magnifying glass icon or on the more results button

The second option is to Browse through the main categories and sub categories. This way you will get more options for the same type of product and maybe discover a new model you'll love!

Harmonicaland stores over 10,000 harmonicas at all times!
If you're looking for a specific key or model we're most likely your best chance to get it on time.
We have so much inventory that Amazon and some competitors buy from us.

Our website displays live inventory 24/7
Just go to the harmonica product page of your choice, pick a key - if available -  and look at the info displayed under the ADD TO CART button.
If it's green your harmonica in stock, if it's yellow it's in stock but only a few units are left, if it's red it's out of stock and you can see the estimated delay for us to get this item back in stock.

Once you order a harmonica that is out of stock we get notified and immediately order it for you. Your order will be placed on back order status. We will ship your order as quickly as possible.

     Due to health concerns related to the use of Harmonicaland’s products, Harmonicaland has a NO RETURN POLICY. If you receive the wrong product or a clearly defective product, DO NOT USE THE PRODUCT. Instead, contact Harmonicaland immediately at +1 800-931-3720 to speak with a customer service representative. Harmonicaland retains sole authority to discern whether you have used the product you claim was incorrect or defective and may deny your attempt to return or exchange the product on that basis. Please note that shipping charges (including expedited shipping) are non-refundable. There will be a minimum $9.90 processing fee that will be deducted from any refund to cover Harmonicaland's costs to process your initial order. In the event Harmonicaland accepts a return and the item needs cleaning, a $25 cleaning fee will be deducted for each diatonic harmonica, and a $49.90 cleaning fee will be deducted for each chromatic or tremolo harmonica.

Do I need an account to order a harmonica?

No you don't need an account you can checkout as a guest but there is really no interest in doing so.
When you checkout as a guest you fill out the same information as a customer who creates an account but if you want to track your order, get your invoice you will have to email us. If you want to ordfer again in the future you will have to re enter all your information.
The only field that you have to fill out to create an account is is add a password

You can create an account in 2 different easy ways:

1 - Simply checkout and create your account while you checkout

You can also create an account from any page:
Click on Sign in
Then click on Create an account

If you forgot your password don't sweat it!
Just click on SIGN IN at the top right
Then click on Forgot your password?

A new password will be emailed to you right away. Check your spam folder as sometimes these emails end up there.

If you can't manage to reset it this way contact us through the chat or by email

Creating an account will make it easier to order harmonicas, track your current order, access your previous orders and also manage other useful features such as :
Manage your addresses
Add or remove a credit card
Leave a product review
See and manage your wishlist
Get notifications when a product is back in stock
And so on

Click on SIGN IN on the top right corner
Then enter your email address and password to LOG IN

To change your existing password is a breeze!
Click on the top right corner on SIGN IN
Once logged in click on INFORMATION
In the form add a new password and HIT REGISTER
DONE!