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A chord is a set of
three or more notes sounded simultaneously.
Chords are most often played as accompaniment to
other instruments. For instance, a piano player
might play a series of chords, called a
chord progression,
while a guitar player plays a solo over those
chords.
The Main Types of Chords
Chords come in a wide variety of types based on
the specific notes they contain. For instance,
some chords sound harmonious and pleasant, while
others sound jarring or foreboding. The most
popular types of chords are
major, minor,
and seventh chords.
- Major chords: Sound bright and pleasant
- Minor chords: Sound dark and menacing
- Seventh chords: Sound unresolved and somewhat dissonant—neither bright nor dark
The Chords of the C Harmonica
All harmonicas, including diatonic harmonicas,
are capable of producing at least a few chords.
On the C harmonica, it’s possible to play at
least one of each of the three main types of
chords. The chords you can play, and the notes
you must play simultaneously in order to sound
them, are:
- C major: Blow holes 1–2–3, 4–5–6, or 7–8–9
- G major: Draw holes 1–2–3, or 1–2–3–4
- G7 (seventh): Draw holes 2–3–4–5
- D minor: Draw holes 4–5–6, or 8–9–10
The fifth and final chord you can play on the C
harmonica is called a “B minor-seven flat-five,”
a chord that combines the qualities of a minor
and a seventh chord. Play it by drawing holes
3–4–5–6 or 7–8–9–10.
Blow Chords
Draw Chords
How to Position Your Mouth to Play Chords
To play chords, use the same hand and mouth
positioning that you’d use for tongue blocking,
but keep your tongue at the bottom of your
mouth, away from the holes. Since your mouth and
lips cover 3–4 holes naturally, you’ll only need
to shift the harmonica in order to position the
right holes to your lips. For instance, to play
a C major chord:
- Place the harmonica in your mouth.
- Move the harmonica to align holes 1–2–3 with the area that your lips cover.
- Exhale from your diaphragm to blow notes 1–2–3 and sound the C major chord.
Unless you’re familiar with the different sounds
of major, minor, and seventh chords, it may be
tough to tell whether you’re playing the right
notes of the chord. Start with the C major chord
by following the steps above. The chord you play
should sound bright, happy, and resolved. Try
playing the D minor chord next (draw 4–5–6 or
8–9–10). It should sound dark and brooding,
entirely unlike the C major chord. If the chords
you play match these descriptions, you’re likely
playing the right notes.
When Do Harmonica Players Play Chords?
The limited number of chords that the diatonic
harmonica can produce makes it unlikely that
you’ll ever use the harmonica to play chords as
accompaniment for another instrument. Instead,
you’ll likely play chords as part of your
harmonica solos. If you’re already a guitar
player, for example, you might play harmonica
chords as a solo over a chord progression on the
guitar. Harmonica players such as Bob Dylan and
Neil Young have popularized this style of
playing harmonica chords.
Playing Arpeggios Instead of Chords
Since the number of actual chords that can be
played on a diatonic harmonica is very limited,
harmonica players usually play chords as
arpeggios. An arpeggio
is a version of a chord in which you play the
notes of a chord separately rather than
simultaneously. Harmonica players play arpeggios
as substitutes for chords that are impossible to
play on the diatonic harmonica they’re using.
For instance, if you wanted to play an E minor
chord, you would instead have to play an
arpeggio containing the notes of the E minor
chord: E, G, and B. In order to play arpeggios,
you need to know:
- The individual notes that make up the chord: Consult a chord dictionary online or in print.
- How to play those notes on your harmonica: Some chords include notes that will require special techniques to sound, such as bends.
