When it comes to harmonica gear I am a pretty basic guy. I like to play harmonica without too many extras. I am not big on pedals and I try to stay away from buying new stuff and focus on practice instead. There are however some harmonica accessories that I recommend for everybody. Read on to find out which!
Paper clip, tooth pick or reed lifter tool
It may seems strange to find paper clips or tooth picks listed as harmonica accessories but you will be glad to have them in your case. The basic idea is just to have something that will make it easy for you to remove dried up material from the holes on your harmonica. Even if you very careful about keeping your instruments clean, there will be some dirt to take care of sooner or later. It’s nice to be able to do it without a full on clean.
Resonance cup
The one who introduced the resonance cup to me was Joe Filisko. The idea with using a small plastic or glass cup is to add a bit of resonance when playing one handed and it also mellows down the treble a bit. It is a nice way of changing the sound a little bit and allow for relaxed one handed playing.
I would recommend that you experiment with different cups to find one that suits your hands and has a sound you like.
Soft cloth
Having a soft cloth in your harmonica case should be standard for everyone (maybe even an obvious accessory). It is so much nicer to to wipe down a harmonica covered in saliva with a cloth instead of using your clothes. You actually get a soft cloth included with some brands but I find that many people lose it quickly.
Your top non-obviuos harmonica accessories?
Now I am curious to find out what your top harmonica accessories are. Comment below or drop me an e-mail.
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