harmoniker

Harmoniker is a term used in German and some other languages for a musician who plays the harmonika, commonly known as the harmonica. The word combines Harmonika with the agent suffix -er, and in everyday use it refers to a performer on the instrument.

The harmonica is a small, portable free-reed wind instrument played by blowing and drawing air through holes in a comb. Variants include diatonic, chromatic, tremolo and octave models. It is used in many genres, from blues and folk to jazz and classical.

A harmoniker develops technique such as single-note playing, chords, and a range of articulation effects. Common approaches include tongue blocking, lip pursing, bending to alter pitch, and overblowing. Players may use amplification for live performance to project the instrument’s sound.

Notable harmonikers include blues performers Little Walter, James Cotton, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Charlie Musselwhite, jazz players Toots Thielemans and John Popper, and classical players such as Larry Adler. These artists illustrate the instrument’s versatility across blues, jazz, folk and classical music.

See also: Harmonica, Free reed, Blues music.