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Bending notes is what gives the harmonica its distinctive sound. It is very hard both to describe and to learn, but with lots of practice you should find it comes to you. Bending can be done on any harmonica, but a double reed bend (where both the draw and blow reed vibrate) can only be done on a diatonic harmonica. With a few exceptions, a chromatic harmonica does not give the same sound, because the wind savers prevent the prized double reed bends.

The fourth hole draw is often bent, and is the perfect ratio of stiffness and size, so it's good to start with it.



  1. 1
    Start with the pre-bend. Simply draw on fourth hole and tilt the harmonica down. The purpose here is to hear the harmonica beginning to bend. Do not tilt the harmonica when you bend.
  2. 2
    Draw on the fourth as you would normally play.
  3. 3
    Lower your jaw without breaking the seal on the harmonica. Think about making an OOH sound or taking a bite of a hot dog.
  4. 4
    If you are playing pucker style (see tips), shape your tongue in an "S" shape, with the tip as far back and as close to the bottom of your mouth as comfortable. If you've done it right, you'll hear the pitch of your harmonica go down by a semitone.
  5. 5
    Move on to other holes. You can bend any hole that you're playing where the opposite direction is a whole tone or more lower.
    • For example, if the draw is G and the blow is E, then that hole can be reach the notes F# and F on the draw. The amount of the bend depends entirely on how far you drop your jaw and shape your mouth, and the reeds available in each hole.
    • In general, a Richter-tuned diatonic harmonica can be bent from holes 1 through 6 on the draw and 7 through 10 on the blow.



  • This article refers to people who play the harmonica by closing their lips around the hole as "pucker style", and those people who play by using their tongue to block the holes as "tongue style".
  • Also practice starting from a bent note and "bending" into a normal draw or blow.
  • Plastic comb harmonicas are easier to bend than wood comb harmonicas, although an experienced player can bend any harmonica easily.
  • Practice both pucker and tongue style bends.
  • Tongue style bends tend to sound deeper than pucker style bends and are preferred for Chicago style blues.
  • Do not draw harder while bending; it will not help much and may damage your harmonica. The harmonica needs very little air to work, so sucking harder does nothing but put stress on the reeds.

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Categories: Flutes and Whistles

In other languages:

Español: hacer bending de una nota en la armónica, Português: Fazer um Bend em uma Harmônica

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