There's a problem, however: most instructions online are type-specific, but I have no idea what type this one could be. It has absolutely no engraved information and is quite different — having 16 holes and a single reed plate, with 16 singular reeds that alternate up and down.

If there's no definite answer, what are some tips to overcome this type barrier and learn to play the harmonica?

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[–] RookC@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It looks like you are missing the hollow top and bottom metal plates for that harmonica. On the metal plate they are usually stamped with the brand and key of harmonica which is why its hard to find information about that one. Check out chromatic, tremelo, and octave harmonica tunings to see which yours is. You may need a tuner to identify what notes the individual reeds make. You could also fashion together a metal plate with an opening away from the reed holes to make it more comfortable to play.

[–] vitrola06 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. It is like that because I had taken it apart to understand and show its interior. Nonetheless, though, they have nothing stamped on them.

About the tuning, don't chromatic harmonicas have a lever and tremelo and octave ones have a double reed plate?

[–] RookC@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

My bad I missed that it’s only a single reed plate. In that case it’s possible that it was an educational use harmonica. Check out this article I found when looking for 16 hole single reed plate harmonicas (towards the Single Harmonica section or maybe a half viennese) https://patmissin.com/ffaq/q36.html

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It's missing the cover plates, so I doubt it's really playable.

What kind of music would you like to play? If you want something that can do bends, you should look into the Hohner Blues Band harmonica: they run about $10 in the States and are a good option for a beginner.

Note that harmonicas are diatonic*, and you'll need them in multiple keys if you want to play with others. You can buy them in sets or mix different ones to see what you like.

It's a fun instrument to just noodle around on and pick out tunes. Get familiar with the feel of it, then look for videos or books to go deeper.

*There are actually different scales that you can play on a standard diatonic harmonica if you play cross harp. This is what you'll need to look at if you want to play the blues.

[–] vitrola06 1 points 1 day ago

Oh, actually, I had taken the cover plates off to see and show its interior. It is playable, but it's hard to figure the tuning — at least for me and my musician friend.

About the music, anything goes. It's for fun anyways, and thus I feel like trying to use this one I already own.

Thanks for the insights.