World's best-selling Musical Instrument

If there is a question thrown out "What is the world's best-selling musical instrument?" what would your answer be..the most likely answer expected would a Guitar or Drums or a Piano.But spare a thought here,the musical instrument which is the most sold in the world till date which is inexpensive and small, fits into the pocket.If you still have not got the answer I'm talking about the humble Harmonica.

The harmonica is the world's best-selling musical instrument. Harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ,is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country music, and rock and roll originating in the early 1800s in Europe.The harmonica is the smallest and simplest of the free reed instruments, but it has one huge advantage over all its bellows-blown cousins: the tone and pitch of each note can be dramatically altered by the player .They gained popularity in the 1920s in the U.S. and were used in blues recordings. The harmonica maker Hohner had sold over 1 billion harmonicas way back in 1986 and the count is still on.

As a matter of fact The harmonica became the first musical instrument to be played in outer space on December 16, 1965, when astronaut Wally Schirra played "Jingle Bells" on a Hohner Little Lady model -- that he smuggled aboard Gemini 4.

One of famous harmonica player in the recent times has been Buddy Greene,this video(please click the link) showcases the expressiveness of the instrument played by a very very talented Buddy Greene.


If  i would have said that a harmonica couldn't hold it's own with an orchestra, i would have been wrong ,watch this video and you will understand what i meant.