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Most diatonic harmonicas contain 10 holes, each
of which can produce two notes through ordinary
blowing or drawing. The holes are referred to
primarily by number (1–10), rather than by the
notes they produce.
The Blow Notes of the C Harmonica
The diagram below shows the 10 numbered holes of
the C harmonica with the note that each hole
produces when you blow into the hole by
exhaling.
The Draw Notes of the C Harmonica
The diagram below shows the 10 numbered holes of
the C harmonica with the note that each hole
produces when you draw air from the hole by
inhaling.
The Draw and Blow Notes Together
Together the blow and draw notes of the C
harmonica contain all the notes of the C major
scale (C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C), the first scale that
most beginning harmonica players learn to play.
Can Diatonic Harmonicas Play More than Seven Notes?
When you use regular blowing and drawing
techniques on a diatonic harmonica, it will
produce, at most, seven notes of varying
pitches. However, it is possible to play
all of the notes of the chromatic scale on a
diatonic harmonica by using bends (see
How to Play Bends on the Harmonica).
How Players Refer to the Different Notes of the Harmonica
Harmonica players won’t just say “play a C,”
since that note occurs four times on the
instrument. To avoid confusion, harmonica
players identify the notes they play first by
hole number and then by blow or draw. For
instance, a player would refer to the A at the
sixth hole as a “hole 6 draw,” to the C at hole
10 as a “hole 10 blow,” and so on. Players often
abbreviate this notation by referring to a “6
draw” or a “10 blow.”
