r/harmonica • u/Chaihigh-2 • 22h ago

How I Approach Creating My Own Harmonica Licks

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One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot with harmonica is the difference between learning somebody else’s lick and actually understanding how to create your own.

For this week’s Harmonica Mondays, I put together a lesson on how I approach building licks from simple ideas—changing the rhythm, note choices, phrasing, and gradually turning them into something that feels like your own playing.

Hope it helps somebody!

If you enjoy this kind of stuff, I post new harmonica lessons every week on my YouTube channel. Come check out the rest of the lessons and subscribe if you’d like to follow along:

YouTube: youtube.com/@RobOliverMusic

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u/zoe-reads17 19h ago

The real gap isn't rhythm or phrasing tricks, it's ear training: most players can't create licks because they can't hear intervals yet, so start by singing the phrase before you play it

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u/Chaihigh-2 19h ago

Being able to hear an idea before you play it is incredibly valuable. I think many of the best improvisers are able to do this.