Reddit mentions of Rock n' Blues Harmonica: A World of Harp Knowledge, Songs, Stories, Lessons, Riffs, Techniques and Audio Index for a New Generation of Harp Players

1. Always have a harmonica in your pocket. Always. You never know when you'll have 5 minutes to blow a tune.
   
   
2. Go on walks through your neighborhood and play every night. It's the perfect practice environment (especially when you're just learning)... by the time anyone cares to look outside and see who's making the noise you'll already be down the street!
   
   
3. Play any simple song you can and play it repetitively. I started with Amazing Grace, The Man on the Flying Trapeze, Dixie Land, and a bunch of church hymns I remember from when I was young. They aren't suppose to impress anyone... they're supposed to teach your mouth what happens when you blow through your harmonica. They will also teach your ear how to hear the harmonica and you'll get used to where the holes are and what the pitches are relative to one another.
   
   
4. Don't only play slow songs.
   
   
5. Don't only play fast songs.
   
   
6. Change keys. Sometimes when you're practicing in a C, stop and play the exact same thing on an A. It will teach you the differences in how the keys play and it will help you further get used to the sounds and placement of the intervals.
   
   
7. Don't be afraid of repetition. It's okay, for example, to practice a single train chug on a 6 block walk. Also, play scales often as warm-ups.
   
   
8. Record yourself. I have recordings dating back to my first week on the harp. It's good to be able to listen to yourself and hear what you sound like. Also, you'll occasionally record a gem that's worth sharing with friends and Redditors.
   
   
9. Search YouTube and try to emulate people you hear. Some favorites of mine are Sonny Terry, Buddy Greene and G Love.
   
   
10. Even if you can't come close to copying them, you can listen to harp music all the time to get it stuck in your soul. I got a hold of a copy of A History of Blues Harmonica and never stopped listening to it. I also got heavily into listening to Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Big Walter, Howlin Wolf and the whole Chicago Blues scene.
    
    
11. I almost forgot that when I first picked up a harp I went to the library and checked out Rock n' Blues Harmonica by John Gindick. It's as good an introduction to the harmonica as your going to get in a book.
    
    
12. Blow, baby, blow! It is a quick learning curve but it won't feel like it sometimes. Just play and keep on playing!
    
    

Jon Gindick has a lot of material.
A good starter book is his Rock and Blues Harmonica. He has others too. Good luck! Enjoy the journey.

Thanks for your feedback - I think you're right in thinking now is the time to focus on your breathing, because breathing leads directly into your tone. I remember when I was starting out, after I had gotten a grip on how to isolate notes and move around the harp, I focused a lot on breathing from my stomach. This gives you a deep and full bodied tone, especially from the lower notes. You don't want to "chirp" them. Here is a video that really helped me with this concept starting out.

I think it would also be useful to start thinking about different positions on the harp over the next few months. I'm not sure how familiar you are just yet, but depending on where you start and what notes you stick to, you can play different styles easily. First position lets you play basic melodies, but when you move into second and third position you can really start feeling the blues. This is a book that really helped me.

Finally, I really like your idea of an overarching song when you're first learning. It would be cool to break it down into different exercises and riffs, then build it up to a full song at the end. I'll definitely keep this in mind when building the site.

Here is a little Harmonica Curriculum from someone who has bounced around nearly every instrument for a time or three.

Part One
The Harp Handbook

Rock 'n Blues Harmonica

Part 2
Building Harmonica Technique

Blues Harmonica Collection

Part 3
Just listen to everyone you can, analyze how they play (transcribe solos if you can) and work on developing your own style, learning songs and learning how to play with others.


Listen To- Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonny Terry, Carey Bell, John Popper and Howard Levy so you don't trick yourself into feeling "limited" by harmonica.

Learning a bit extra of music theory wouldn't hurt either, especially if you want to play with bands.

You are absolutely going to need multiple harmonicas if you want to play with other bands- other instruments tend to get tired of always playing in G. If you're just playing by yourself, though, all you need is one in C (or whatever key works best for your voice) to work most harmonica books.

Yeah, I got that bit from Gindick's book "Rock 'n' Blues Harmonica" https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Blues-Harmonica-Techniques-Generation/dp/0930948106/ and it really helped me get those 3 draw bends down. I highly recommend this book for beginners and intermediate players, if you're the kind who learns well from books. Yeah it has some hokey or cheesy stuff in it, but for me that was just a reminder to not take shit too seriously.

The syllables you articulate with can really change the sound a lot, and the mouth shape of various vowels can definitely apply to bends.