Harmonica
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The Harmonica is a mouth organ. It has either one or two sets of freely vibrating reeds that sound as you blow and suck air through the instrument. It was developed in Europe after the introduction of the Chinese sheng in 1777. The harmonica is especially popular in folk and blues music and also occasionally features in orchestral concertos.
| Family |
| Woodwinds |
| Pitch range |
| Variable : this one has a range of three octaves. |
| Material |
| Metal. |
| Size |
| About 4 in (10 cm) long. |
| Origins |
| Like all western mouth organs, the harmonica developed in the early 19th century from the mouth organs of the Far East. Records show that mouth organs existed in China 3,000 years ago. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| On this very simple harmonica, you produce the notes of the main chord by blowing out air (exhaling), and the other notes of the scale by sucking it in (inhaling). |
