HISTORY OF THE HARMONICA

Harmonica John said he doesn't know much about the history of the harmonica, he just knows how to play one. But it does have a history, if but a brief one.

Webster's defines the harmonica as "a small rectangular wind instrument in which free reeds are agitated by the exhalation or inhalation of the breath."

Many books on musical instruments neglect to even mention the harmonica, and the ones that do are brief, as if it is somehow less important than the rest. Looking at some of the people that have used them to make fine music, it would be hard to believe.

Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Clint Black, John Lennon, Hewey Lewis and the News, and more recently John Popper, the lead singer of Blues Traveler have all made fine livings from making music that often uses the harmonica.

The harmonica, or mouth organ, is the smallest member of the free-reed family.

It consists of a box containing sometimes scores of reeds. The player moves it along his lips according to the notes he wishes to produce.

Different pitches result from blowing and from sucking.

History tells us the instrument was probably invented in 1821 by a man named Buschmann, who also constructed the accordian. However, the harmonica wasn't patented until 1844 by Charles Wheatstone.

Buschmann called it the Mundaoline and it had a length of only 2 1/2 inches.

Today, harmonicas are constructed either in quite primitive form, as a sort of toy, or as a rather elaborate and expensive instrument, such as Harmonica John uses and spends $60 on.

In both forms, the harmonica belongs among the instruments of folk, country, rock, and even gospel music, and even the best performers, who sometimes achieve a quite surprising virtuosity, are mostly amateurs.