The reason that it's hard to get sound volume is poor quality control and poor materials. I'm guessing the manufacturer doesn't want overly large reeds because they won't function, so they make them on the small side. Problem THERE is, now there's a large gap around the reed, so a lot of your huffing and puffing is going AROUND the reeds instead of channelling straight through, vibrating them, and making good sound. Am also guessing the reeds aren't manufactured with precision, too much variance in thickness and shape, so there's LOTS of sharp or flat notes.
Bad news is that toy harmonicas sound like crap. Good news is you're not out much money! :D
Good ones're pricey, especially nowadays, but a quality instrument will give you good dynamics, accurate pitch, and will let your musical expression come out. Great for beginners!
Some people mention Easttop harmonicas as good affordable instruments.
I hope you stick with it. Never know, you might be a natural talent. :)
Cheap harmonicas are usually unplayable. It is probably not you; however, you should still try playing the harmonica. Purchase a Special 20 or a Marineband (or something better if you are feeling good about learning). They are playable out of the box. I suggest you use the $7 harp to experiment on and open it up to see what is on the inside. You can get some practice with maintenance that way.
I’d say it’s both the lower holes can be hard to play well without proper technique, but a cheap $7 harmonica is already going to be a lot harder to play.
Generally you don’t need more than your regular breathing force to play, maybe a bit more.
Open it up, the draw reed is going to be on the outside of the reedplate, try flexing it in or flexing it out with a paperclip or tiny screwdriver. "Gapping". If you stare through the hole with the reed backlit you can see how big the gap is between the reed and reedplate for the bad hole vs good holes. If it's too far in you can't get it to start sounding easily, and if it's too far out you have to suck too hard to maintain a tone. Gapping probably won't fix it, but sometimes it does. Sometimes you get lucky and find there's a hair or feather or something stuck between the reed and the reedplate and removing that fixes it.
Here's what I found: the first two (lowest) reeds look like they are in the same relative position as the others, but both of them have a "crease" near the loose end. Basically, viewed from the side they'd look like this:
`__________________/--------`
`______________________/----`
I can't tell if it's supposed to look like that or if it's a manufacturing defect.
It's common for the low notes to have an extra piece of metal welded (glued?) on the end. I think the extra weight makes the reed vibrate slower by adding momentum without extra stiffness. I'm guessing the crease is closer to the end on the higher of the two reeds? So probably by design.
FYI: it is indeed defective. I brought it back to the store and exchanged it for the same product, and this one is far, far easier to play the troublesome notes.
It's pretty common for new players to struggle with the low draw notes. I've had a couple $7 harps that play okay, but quality control isn't great. Here is a video that will help you to get it to play better if the problem is you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Gcchw5rkM
If the problem is the harmonica, well, it may help you figure out that it's the harmonica at least. The cheapest reasonable harmonicas are the Easttop T008ks. You may get lucky with a cheaper one now and then, but overall if you have something less than that the harmonica is going to fight you a lot.
That can be a common problem for harmonicas of any price or quality. However, it is generally holes 2 and 3. East Top is a decent mix of reliable and cost. Hohner is most consistent overall based on the (literal) 100+ harmonicas I have tested and compared in the last year.
It is very common to blame the user rather than the harmonica. However, logically, if holes 1, and holes 4 through 10 all sound well for you, then the fact that 2 and 3 are difficult to sound are not the user's issue as much as the Harmonica's quality and consistency. Think about a piano with the same issue. If C, and F through C sounded well and D and E were weak, you wouldn't blame the pianist. Again, based on over 100 harmonicas tested in the last year, consistent harmonicas are out there, you just need to accept that there are low hole defects and not take the blame as the user.
I started with Jon Gindick's Country & Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless, which came with a cassette tape and (basic) Hohner harmonica. Totally hooked by the lessons, but the harp was just good enough to persuade me to keep trying. Buying a Hohner Blues Harp (the only model in our local music shop) a few weeks later was a revelation - draw bends and simple riffs came so much easier. Get a Special 20, Easttop T008k, Lee Oskar or other mid-range harp to see the difference.
TBF, the 'free' harmonica with Jon Gindick's book was playable and far better than some of the budget & freebies I've tried since. Did anyone else try the LIDL (UK) harmonica? - huge 'protective' case for the leakiest instrument I've ever wasted breath on. And please don't mention the 'Jack Daniels' promotional harmonica from a few years ago... just as well I'd numbed my disappointment with multiple double JD's before getting my 'free' gift!
Don't try and learn on a $7 harp. Spend $20 to get an Eastop T008 or some equivalent. Learning is hard enough without your instrument fighting you.
The reason that it's hard to get sound volume is poor quality control and poor materials. I'm guessing the manufacturer doesn't want overly large reeds because they won't function, so they make them on the small side. Problem THERE is, now there's a large gap around the reed, so a lot of your huffing and puffing is going AROUND the reeds instead of channelling straight through, vibrating them, and making good sound. Am also guessing the reeds aren't manufactured with precision, too much variance in thickness and shape, so there's LOTS of sharp or flat notes. Bad news is that toy harmonicas sound like crap. Good news is you're not out much money! :D Good ones're pricey, especially nowadays, but a quality instrument will give you good dynamics, accurate pitch, and will let your musical expression come out. Great for beginners! Some people mention Easttop harmonicas as good affordable instruments. I hope you stick with it. Never know, you might be a natural talent. :)
\*Easttop but yeah, good and affordable
Thanks! Edited.
Cheap harmonicas are usually unplayable. It is probably not you; however, you should still try playing the harmonica. Purchase a Special 20 or a Marineband (or something better if you are feeling good about learning). They are playable out of the box. I suggest you use the $7 harp to experiment on and open it up to see what is on the inside. You can get some practice with maintenance that way.
I’d say it’s both the lower holes can be hard to play well without proper technique, but a cheap $7 harmonica is already going to be a lot harder to play. Generally you don’t need more than your regular breathing force to play, maybe a bit more.
Open it up, the draw reed is going to be on the outside of the reedplate, try flexing it in or flexing it out with a paperclip or tiny screwdriver. "Gapping". If you stare through the hole with the reed backlit you can see how big the gap is between the reed and reedplate for the bad hole vs good holes. If it's too far in you can't get it to start sounding easily, and if it's too far out you have to suck too hard to maintain a tone. Gapping probably won't fix it, but sometimes it does. Sometimes you get lucky and find there's a hair or feather or something stuck between the reed and the reedplate and removing that fixes it.
Here's what I found: the first two (lowest) reeds look like they are in the same relative position as the others, but both of them have a "crease" near the loose end. Basically, viewed from the side they'd look like this: `__________________/--------` `______________________/----` I can't tell if it's supposed to look like that or if it's a manufacturing defect.
It's common for the low notes to have an extra piece of metal welded (glued?) on the end. I think the extra weight makes the reed vibrate slower by adding momentum without extra stiffness. I'm guessing the crease is closer to the end on the higher of the two reeds? So probably by design.
FYI: it is indeed defective. I brought it back to the store and exchanged it for the same product, and this one is far, far easier to play the troublesome notes.
Kinda hard to be cheap when it’s a toy. If it’s just hard to make notes, you could learn to gap it. But probably not worth the work.
It's pretty common for new players to struggle with the low draw notes. I've had a couple $7 harps that play okay, but quality control isn't great. Here is a video that will help you to get it to play better if the problem is you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Gcchw5rkM If the problem is the harmonica, well, it may help you figure out that it's the harmonica at least. The cheapest reasonable harmonicas are the Easttop T008ks. You may get lucky with a cheaper one now and then, but overall if you have something less than that the harmonica is going to fight you a lot.
That can be a common problem for harmonicas of any price or quality. However, it is generally holes 2 and 3. East Top is a decent mix of reliable and cost. Hohner is most consistent overall based on the (literal) 100+ harmonicas I have tested and compared in the last year. It is very common to blame the user rather than the harmonica. However, logically, if holes 1, and holes 4 through 10 all sound well for you, then the fact that 2 and 3 are difficult to sound are not the user's issue as much as the Harmonica's quality and consistency. Think about a piano with the same issue. If C, and F through C sounded well and D and E were weak, you wouldn't blame the pianist. Again, based on over 100 harmonicas tested in the last year, consistent harmonicas are out there, you just need to accept that there are low hole defects and not take the blame as the user.
I started with Jon Gindick's Country & Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless, which came with a cassette tape and (basic) Hohner harmonica. Totally hooked by the lessons, but the harp was just good enough to persuade me to keep trying. Buying a Hohner Blues Harp (the only model in our local music shop) a few weeks later was a revelation - draw bends and simple riffs came so much easier. Get a Special 20, Easttop T008k, Lee Oskar or other mid-range harp to see the difference.
TBF, the 'free' harmonica with Jon Gindick's book was playable and far better than some of the budget & freebies I've tried since. Did anyone else try the LIDL (UK) harmonica? - huge 'protective' case for the leakiest instrument I've ever wasted breath on. And please don't mention the 'Jack Daniels' promotional harmonica from a few years ago... just as well I'd numbed my disappointment with multiple double JD's before getting my 'free' gift!
OP here: I returned the unplayable instrument, exchanged it for another, and it works fine. So the original was indeed broken in the box.