Hi all, my name is Lin Wilder and I’m in Bellingham, WA, USA. I’ve been interested in the harmonica for some time, and have dabbled a tiny bit, enough to be able to play some basic tunes, bend a few notes, etc. I play some guitar and ukulele, and in early 2025 I began songwriting, and fell in love. As I’ve been writing songs, some just beg for a harmonica intro or instrumental break, so I’ve written a couple of songs with harmonica parts. This makes me want to learn more so that I can expand what is possible for me to do on the harmonica in songs. I also play guitar with a couple of song circle groups, and have just started to add little bits and pieces on the harmonica and that is exciting too. I feel like the harmonica is a bit more intuitive for me than the guitar, and while I may never be able to take an instrumental break on a guitar, I feel that doing it on a harmonica is within my reach. So with that motivation, here I am, ready to learn more and discuss this cool little instrument with others! Anyone else writing songs with harmonica parts? Any tips for playing a guitar and a harmonica at the same time (it’s challenging but feels good for my brain!) 
I can’t play guitar - will probably learn - but harmonica is a blast.
A lot of blues players here. Learn the blues and it will be an easy songwriting addition for you.
@hardyweed I know what you mean. One way I think of it is that I play guitar but I breath harmonica. 
Hi Lin, welcome to the Harmonica forum!
@hardyweed Yeah learning songs that were written with guitar and harmonica would be a great place to start! (Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty.)
Hey! It’s nice to meet ya, Lin. This post might be old, but I like to write my own songs as a harmonica player. I do produce a lot of my own original works involving the harmonica (I’m usually more in the desktop music and Vocaloid scenes), though most of the harmonica songs I’ve written are more blues-oriented. But I generally use music to get my message out to those who might relate to it.
For my songwriting process, I usually start by researching what kind of vibe I want the song to have. I would describe my production style as very eclectic as I like to take various genres of music and put my own spin on it. I’m currently working on a song that has a more 70s soul/RnB vibe to it, so I would compile songs into a playlist that fit that style as well as songs with similar grooves and the lyrical themes I want to go for. I typically write the lyrics and compose the music simultaneously.
In terms of creating harmonica parts for songs, I don’t focus on making a simple part as much as the Bob Dylan clones do. For me, it heavily relies on the chord progression. When I’m creating a solo for a a song with a progression that involves more than three chords, I like to check out how other harmonica players would approach that kind of structure. For me, it involves a lot of listening and a tiny bit of music theory as I need to consider which notes can fit into a specific chord.
I really don’t take influence from the Bob Dylan clones (singer-songwriters who play harmonica in the style of Bob Dylan, which is the stereotypical “blow and suck” sound, usually played on a harmonica rack) when I’m creating my harmonica parts for more contemporary styles of music. Despite this sound being extremely popular, I honestly prefer songwriters who play the harmonica as a huge part of their musical identity, but use it in different ways. One person in the latter camp who I highly recommend to those wanting to incorporate the harmonica into songwriting, especially due to his versatility as a musician, is Norton Buffalo. I recently got into his music earlier this month and he’s a phenomenal harmonica player and songwriter. For beginners, I’d recommend listening to his solo albums: “Lovin’ in the Valley of the Moon”, “Desert Horizon”, and “King of the Highway”.
To me, the best part about his playing was that he never really put a specific label for the type of music he made as his playing style on the harmonica and his songs were literally a huge melting pot of influences. I always loved players who would be considered “not real blues players” by the standards set by harmonica purists (a couple of others who I think fit into this category of “non-traditional blues artists” are Son of Dave, Jason Ricci, Will Wilde, and Terry McMillan). I absolutely hate the mentality that I have to follow a strict set of rules in order to be considered a “real blues” harmonica player; this often entails playing only in the style of Little Walter and playing covers exactly as the original recording. That kind of playing has its place in the harmonica world, but that just isn’t for me and my goals with the instrument. I tend to use the harmonica more as an outlet that I can use to creatively express myself with. Even though I often use some of the vocabulary that’s often associated with the blues, I don’t label myself as a “blues harpist” solely for the reason that everything I do with the harmonica angers the blues traditionalist crowd in some way or another. Whether it would be the gear I use, my embouchre style (this one especially makes people angry), my influences, or even just existing in the online harmonica space at all.