• Start Playing the Harmonica

• Hone Your Harmonica Skills

• Choose a Harmonica Key

• Gear Up Like a Harmonica Pro

• Find Harmonicas on eBay

• Buy Harmonicas With Confidence

Start Playing the Harmonica

Start Playing the Harmonica

Start playing the harmonica or a popular diatonic harmonica such as a Hohner harmonica, Lee Oskar harmonica, Jambone harmonica, Suzuki harmonica, or Johnson Blues King harmonica. Professional players use diatonic harmonicas (also called blues harp or harp) to play just about any style of popular music, from blues and rock to country and folk.

Diatonic harmonicas have 10 holes and come in all 12 keys. You can play a complete 7-note major scale. Bend notes to hit additional notes outside the major scales.

Get a special tuned diatonic harmonica to play additional notes and scales, such as a natural minor scale, harmonic minor scale, major scale 2nd position tuned, and others.

Hone Your Harmonica Skills

Hone Your Harmonica Skills

Once you feel comfortable playing the diatonic harmonica, expand your repertoire.

• Chromatic harmonicas: Play jazz and classical music on a chromatic harmonica. Chromatic harmonicas feature a slide button on the side used to hit the half-step notes between the major scale notes, so you can play any scales in any key.

• Tremolo harmonicas: Play a tremolo harmonica to create special effects or simple melodies for gospel and Old World music. Like a diatonic harmonica, a tremolo harmonica has double holes. However, unlike the diatonic, each of the tremolo’s holes has two reeds tuned to the same note. One reed is pitched slightly higher, which gives the harmonica its distinctive vibrating sound.

• Octave-tuned harmonicas: For a wide range of notes, pick up an octave-tuned harmonica. Each double hole has two reeds, but one is tuned an octave higher or lower. These harmonicas have a powerful, rich sound.

Consider a bass harmonica, chord harmonica, polyphonia, or miniature (four-hole) harmonica for special purposes such as harmonica trios and ensemble performances.

Choose a Harmonica Key

Choose a Harmonica Key

If you plan to play with other musicians (or play along with recorded music), equip yourself with harmonicas in multiple keys. As a solo player, choose a harmonica tuned to any key you want to play.

• C harmonicas: If you plan to start with just one harmonica, buy a C harmonica. Harmonica instruction books and other harmonica learning materials often favor C harmonicas.

• D harmonicas: Get a D harmonica to practice bending notes.

• A harmonicas: A harmonicas produce a beautiful low-pitch sound.

Buy an arsenal of harmonicas, including an F harmonica, D harmonica, A harmonica, C harmonica, G harmonica, E harmonica, and Bb harmonica to play blues, rock, or country music with a band. You'll need an Ab harmonica, Bb harmonica, Db harmonica, Eb harmonica, and F# harmonica to play with a jazz group. Shop for a harmonica set and save.

Gear Up Like a Harmonica Pro

Gear Up Like a Harmonica Pro

Beginners and pros benefit from having the right harmonica accessories.

• Master the harmonica: Learn to play harmonica with instruction books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and “how to play” resources from Hal Leonard, Warner Brothers, Mel Bay, and others.

• Play harmonica hands-free: Get a harmonica holder to hold the harmonica in place while you play guitar or another instrument.

• Protect your harmonica collection: Buy a harmonica carrying case to safely tote several harmonicas to a gig.

• Wear your harmonicas: Harmonica belts provide quick access to your harps.

• Amplify your harmonica: Play into a microphone (mike) and increase volume through an amplifier (amp) from Fender or Peavey. Specialty harmonica mikes fit the harmonica perfectly and create a classic blues harp sound or accurately reproduce the natural sound.

• Record yourself: Record your harmonica music with devices such as a Tascam mixer or multi-track recorder.

• Fix your harmonica: Replace reed plates and/or tune and adjust harmonica reeds with a harmonica tool kit.

Find Harmonicas on eBay

Find Harmonicas on eBay

Once you know what type of harmonica you want, go to the Musical Instruments portal, click Harmonica, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Hohner, Johnson Blues King, and Other.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a diatonic harmonica in the key of C, type “diatonic harmonica C" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Harmonicas With Confidence

Buy Harmonicas With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to C$1,250.

• eBay Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.