Difficulty: Beginner

Lesson Length: 4:54

Instructor: George Goodman

5 different ways to produce vibrato on harmonica are explored in this lesson.

A C harmonica is the first one you need to follow along with the lessons on the site. I often play a Hohner Special 20 Harmonica in the key of C through a Shure Green Bullet microphone Model 5200 and Fender Super Champ amplifier

5 Different Ways To Produce A Vibrato On Harmonica

Vibrato is a musical effect produced by rapid, small variations in volume and pitch resulting in a wah-wah or tremulous type sound. A vibrato can be used to enhance your tone giving it a warmer, more expressive quality.
There are a number of different ways to achieve a vibrato on harmonica. Here’s five.

1) Hand Vibrato – Obviously to produce a hand vibrato, you need to be holding onto the harmonica. The rest of the vibrato techniques don’t require you to hold the harp in your hands. When holding the harmonica in the standard position, a vibrato can be created by opening and closing your right hand around your left. The faster you flutter your right hand, the faster the vibrato.

2) Tongue Vibrato – To produce a tongue vibrato, wave your tongue up and down while blowing or drawing on your harmonica. This causes an oscillation in the airflow resulting in the vibrato.

3) Jaw Vibrato – This is one I borrowed from the saxophone. Moving your jaw up and down while blowing or drawing on the harmonica will also produce a vibrato.

4) Throat Vibrato – A vibrato can be produced by alternately constricting and then releasing the muscles in the throat. Constricting the throat muscles constricts the flow of air. Relaxing the throat muscles allow the free flow of air. The oscillation between constriction and free flow produces the vibrato effect. Constricting and then relaxing your throat muscles can be accomplished by making a machine gun type sound in the back of your throat. Also a laugh produced in your throat will accomplish this feat.

5) Diaphragm Vibrato – The diaphragm vibrato is produced by alternately tightening and then loosening your stomach muscles. I can show this by using the guitar which moves as I contract and relax my stomach muscles. This one takes lots of practice.

Practice each of the vibrato techniques using long tones blowing and drawing. Try to keep the vibrato even both in speed and volume. Move up and down the harp and speed up as you gain control and confidence. Some of these techniques won’t come right away and will require patient practice to get sounding good. Keep at it.