Chromatic harmonica (C) — a graded beginner curriculum

A technique-graded course for the chromatic harmonica in C — the 12-hole instrument whose slide button raises each note a semitone, giving the full chromatic scale. There is no score corpus, so the curriculum is the technique itself: breathing and single notes, then the slide, tone and the full range — grounded in public-domain harmonica/’mouth-organ’ methods, with the chromatic-specific slide work added from standard practice.

The five levels

• Level 1 · Breath & single notes — holding, blow/draw, clean single notes, the C major scale
• Level 2 · Tongue-blocking & the slide — tongue-block single notes, the slide button for sharps/flats
• Level 3 · Tone & expression — vibrato, dynamics, phrasing, sustain
• Level 4 · The full chromatic range & keys — the complete chromatic scale, playing in several keys, agility
• Level 5 · Advanced playing & performance — octaves, ornaments, idiomatic style, repertoire

Sources

• A. Ntakas — Harmonica Method (archive.org) — single notes, tongue-block, bending, vibrato, slide, shake, breathing
• Ryan’s True Harmonica Instructor (archive.org) — rudiments of music, blow/draw, the chromatic scale
• Wm. J. Smith — EZ Easy Method for Harmonica / Mouth Organ (archive.org) — lip & tongue position, playing the scale, vibrato
• standard chromatic-harmonica practice — the slide button and chromatic technique (most chromatic methods are still in copyright)