Playing the Harmonica paired with your favorite instrument can be an absolute blast, for me that’s playing guitar (my first musical love).
Getting the right Harmonica Holder that’s comfortable and built well makes playing that much easier. Every holder on this list has great reviews on and offline and is definitely worth considering or getting one for yourself.
If you’re lucky, after reading these reviews go see if your local music store has any that you can try (I’d call first because I live in St. Louis and even here the major stores only had a couple and they weren’t the best quality). What’s comfortable to a lot of people may not be for you. Everybody’s different and it’s very important to get a comfortable Harmonica Holder if you plan on playing for awhile.
1. Hohner HH01
This is a relatively tall harmonica holder that is known to be great quality and is one of the most popular holders for Harmonica players.
(More Details and pricing info on Amazon)
A very light holder but still sturdy, the Hohner is easily adjustable as well, Hohner in general is one of the better brands for Harmonicas and equipment.
The funny thing about this holder is in the reviews…..most people agree it’s a great holder (Unless they have a short neck), but there’s quite a few people who complain about a smell coming from their holders. I found this very odd, and kinda shocking they haven’t addressed this issue.
Since most people consider this to be the best brand for harmonicas, I decided to put this at the top of list. Personally I think they should just stick to harmonicas however.
This holder looks to be basically just your standard holder, nothing special about the nuts that readjust and the wiring that goes around your neck looks standard as well (which I find slightly uncomfortable). I’m sure this is a great holder, just seems to me that there are better options out there, ones with better adjustment options and more comfortable design.
2. K&M Harmonica Holder
This was my first Harmonica holder, and was fantastic.
(More Details and pricing info on Amazon)
People do have some problems with these coming out of place when they’re jamming to hard on their harmonica or moving to much. If you need to move around a lot you’ll probably do better with the Hohners Flex Rack which is the next one on the list here.
Other than the issue with the holder coming out of place, the K&M is a great piece that is simple and gets the job done. It’s on the lower end of the price range for holders to, which is nice.
3. Hohner Mz Flex Rack
(This is my current harmonica holder and definitely the best one I’ve owned yet.)
(More Details and pricing info on Amazon)
While strongly resembling the K&M, the Flex Rack by Hohner is not the same and is a better version.
When pressing down and moving around a lot I don’t have to readjust at all, the harmonica holder keeps everything in place.
Like the K&M, the flex rack is slightly more expensive, but well worth it for the upgrades. The rubber cushion on the back is nice as well so you’re not feeling the cold annoying metal piece.
What’s the downside? These are not easy to move out of the way. You’ll have to take it off completely if you want to sing into a microphone or just speak in general. There’s always a catch isn’t there. There is a great alternative though if you need to sing and that’s the next on the list.
4. Harplock
This piece is nice because you don’t have to wear anything at all to keep your harmonica in place.
You simply attach this piece to a Shure microphone and you’re good to go, this can honestly be the best option for those who just don’t like having something in front of their face or around their neck when they’re playing, of course there are other options that you can lay across your chest when you aren’t using the harmonica (they’re in this list) but this might be the best option for somebody looking to not have to wear a harmonica holder at all. Honestly a really good idea and I’m surprised more people don’t use these unless there’s some major flaw I’m overlooking.
(More Details and pricing info on Amazon)
5. Lee Oskar Harmonica Holder
This model keeps the harmonica in place with a very very strong spring.
(More Details and pricing info on Amazon)
Your harmonica will not be going anywhere with one of these, it takes some good hand strength to open and close this holder, it’s held in with an industrial strength spring. Some of the reviews are kind of hilarious with people worried they’re going to hurt their hands when it snaps back. A bit overdramatic if you ask me. It is a great spring, but not that serious.
There aren’t many downsides at all, most people love this holder and it does well for them especially for the price.
Biggest upside? I think these look really slick, a lot of the holders I like are more comfortable and practical. The Lee Oskar just has a very pretty look to it.
Unfortunately for me I think they’re uncomfortable, but if you don’t think the way it is designed will bother you then go for it!
6. Farmer Archtop
I haven’t gotten to try this one out yet, however I do think when I do this will probably end up being my new favorite harmonica holder.
Your harmonica attaches very simply to the top on this one by a magnet and is not bulky and looks extremely comfortable. The downside is that some harmonicas will not attach to the magnet.
The ease of being able to drop the bar that holds the harmonica and being able to quickly pop it back up into place is great as well, like those times you have a song in a set with a harmonica but the next you don’t and you want to get it out of the way without actually having to take the whole thing off to just put it right back on makes things so much more simple. Really a clever design.
Looks great, and has the best functionality out of all the Harmonica Holders. Also, if you notice the actual part that goes around your neck has a lot more breathing room compared to other holders, which is a great plus considering some of these seem not necessarily tight, but are close to hugging the neck of the wearer.
Tips for Choosing a Good Harmonica Holder-
Most Harmonica holders are the same and have a thin metal wire that hangs around your neck and a wire that holds up the harmonica to your lips with some screws to hold the wire in the right place for you to be able to play most comfortably.
This is the bare necessities for a Harmonica Holder, however to get a good one you’ll also want to look at other ones that have everything from upgraded comfort pads to better screws to hold the wire in place better.
When you choose your Harmonica Holder it’s best to first ask yourself some questions.
- Will I be using this for gigs or just home use?
- Do I need to have a holder that easily moves out of the way so I can sing as well?
- Do I need a Harmonica holder that can switch out between harmonicas quickly?
Try and think of everything you can that you’ll be using this for, it’s better to buy a 50$ holder first than buy a 20$ one and then not long after realize you’ll be needing the more expensive version.
And absolutely 100% check the reviews and product description before buying these.
As with anything, it’s always best to check the reviews….but I’d say with instrument equipment this is definitely something you want to make sure you’re getting exactly what you need. There were a few product reviews for some harmonica holders that said they were “toys” and made out of plastic. Not sure why a child would be buying a harmonica holder as a toy……but just be careful.
If you can buy them in person, play with the harmonica holder in the setting you find most comfortable for at least 10 minutes.
The “correct” way of adjusting your harmonica is slightly out so it’s not right on your face and you have to reach only a little bit out to play, however this I do think should be more up to personal preference.
However, playing for at least 10 minutes will make sure that you know you’ll actually feel comfortable when practicing. There are some holders that even adjusted to the lowest they can go are pretty high for some people and if you don’t feel comfortable playing one for only 10 minutes it’s probably in your best interest to go ahead and try something that’s a little more comfortable.
Quick (but important) note about buying a Harmonica Holder –
I assume this doesn’t apply to everyone that reads this article. However….I’d like to add that playing the Harmonica while playing a different instrument is pretty difficult, and you should consider the time and effort this will take as well to learn how to play the Harmonica while playing something else as well.
Of course, there are varying levels of difficulty with what you’re playing with your harmonica. For instance, if you decide to play a cajon and have some experience playing one with your harmonica it will be much harder than say if you were to try and play an accordion. I know this is obvious, but I really do hope you think about this.
For me, my coordination took me quite awhile before I got the hang of it. I’d say about two months before I played something semi-decent and about half a year before I was playing with ease.
I don’t want to discourage from you at all, but I do want you to think about this.
If you do spend the time to learn to play harmonica while playing guitar or any other instrument, I would like to say though it is definitely worth it. It is an absolute blast to play some bluesy jams while strumming away and you will find yourself just completely mesmerized with your own playing. I’ve played hours on end and gotten carried away multiple multiple times.
Super rewarding to learn, and stupid stupid fun to jam with others with. I got a few bandmates jealous quite a few times. lol.
Tips on Learning Coordination while playing the Harmonica with other instruments:
Getting used to playing any instrument involves learning lots of coordination. With Guitar, you’ve got to coordinate your right and left hands, and for instruments like drums you learn to use your whole body entirely. Of course, with the Harmonica you’ve learned to use your hands to move the Harmonica around, and you’ve learned to train your breathing as well.
Here are three tips for getting used to playing the Harmonica with other instruments (No matter which instrument pair you choose) –
#1) Get Used to moving your head around to play
When playing the Harmonica, we get used to using our hands to move the Harmonica around and to do different things like playing Vibrato. Once you start playing with a holder, you won’t be able to do this anymore, and you’l have to move your neck around to be able to play different notes. So, it’s best to spend some time playing the harmonica without your other instrument and get used to playing it without your hands and using just the holder to keep it in place. This will make it so that you’ll be able to play easier once you actually play the two together.
#2) Play stuff that’s really easy when you start
This is good advice for any instrument you’ll ever learn, but I’d say especially for learning how to play Harmonica while you play another instrument you’ll definitely want to start with easy songs. I tried learning really complex stuff when I first started and was almost getting burned out, before I decided to start learning easier songs/riffs.
Small wins will propel you forward and keep you excited, most likely you’ve probably forgotten how hard it is to start learning an instrument….the process isn’t fun at first so keep an open mind about learning songs that are for absolute beginners. Learning these easy songs will make the complex ones that much easier when you get to them.
#3) Internalize!
This is absolutely the best tip I can give to you if you want to simply jam out for hours on end and improvise. Learning a backing track to the point where you can do it without thinking at all will make it very easy to focus on playing the harmonica as lead. This is the first lesson in the video below by a dude Chuck who absolutely kills it with a harmonica and a guitar. I highly recommend watching this whole video.
Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed this article on the best Harmonica Holders out there in 2018. Hopefully this article pointed you in the direction of a Harmonica Holder that you’d like to use. Just remember, the best Harmonica Holder is the one you enjoy the most! Just like any musical instrument or piece of equipment, not everyone is the same. You may be different than me and like the sleek looking holders rather than the more comfortable ones, and that’s why I tried adding ones like the Lee Oskar in here.
Again, hope you enjoyed this article! Thanks so much for reading. Leave a comment below if you have any questions or have anything you’d like for me to add! -Cameron, Broke and Talented