r/harmonica

Ive been playing harmonica for a bit now and i wanted another one in other key rather than C, I'm thinking or Getting Low F ( purely for the house building song lol ) but i just wanna know whats the second most common key used besides C! Thankyou in advance :D

I know nothing about harmonicas but from what I understand, if you're going to play the blues over a song, you'd want to choose the IV interval. So I want to play the Rolling Stones' "Midnight Rambler", which is in the key of B and I'm about to buy a Lee Oskar E Major Diatonic harp, would this be correct? Just checking because I know major and minor matters. I have an Eminor harmonica and it doesn't sound right.

And on that note, the song "Miss You" is also a blues song in the key of Am, what do I do there? Because I know another song in the key of Am and I use a G for it but I remember it not working for "Miss You".

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between the Hohner Special 20 and the Hohner Blues Harp and I’m a bit stuck.

I want to play mainly:

cowboy / Wild West style (like desert, cinematic western vibes)
slow country songs (Cowpoke-style music)
stuff like Piano Man / folk-country melodies
some basic blues in the future

My doubts are:

I read that the Blues Harp has a more “vintage” and raw sound, which I like the idea of
But I also read that the Special 20 is much more comfortable and easier to play, especially for bending and learning
Some people say the sound difference is minimal and it’s more about feel and playability
Others say the Blues Harp has more character long term
I don’t mind a slightly harder learning curve if the Blues Harp really gives a better or more authentic sound in the long run.

So my question is:

For my style (country/western/cinematic harmonica), which one would you choose and why?
Special 20 or Blues Harp?

Thanks a lot

I dont see this technique talked about enough, or ever. I notice that a lot of the amplified blues legends often let a little air into an adjecent note of a hole to create a thicker screaming tone. For me this doesnt read as a chord at all, the amp kind of compresses and blends it into one note. And for full chords just let equal air into both holes. Im at least guessing its intentional that it reads as one note and not a chord.

I think this is a really cool and smart technique that doesnt get talked about enough. Its a great way to make notes sound fuller, and make the harmonica scream. I feel like most people just call these chords, which isnt wrong. But i feel like it should have its own name.

A good example of this is "early in the morning" by junior wells. He does this a lot in the solos. I could be wrong and the intentions behind it could be to make it sound like chords, but it sounds like its on purpose.

I'm wondering if you need an amp to get that crunchy Chicago blues sound. I have a bulletini mic that I'd like to push through a pedal and then put that into my PA. I'm just wondering if that will work or if I definitely need an amp for that sound. Any pedal recommendations?

Hi.

My band is playing Pink and I'm up for the Intro after saying I played a little as a kid. I did, but looking at the harmonica I have, I realize it is a little strange , if not illegitimate in the harmonica world. It's a 16 hole Schylling that I had to play in one of those elementary school summer camps way back when.

I could find the notes, but something still feels off. Was looking at more standard 10 and 24 hole varieties and wondering if it would be a big difference and worth it for a 8 bar intro and at what price.

Thanks.

Just received my new 16 slot bandolier from Pinegrove for the master set. Added a 10 slot belt slider onto the bandolier strap for a total (obnoxious and impractical) of 26 harmonicas.

16 slots on the front

10 slots on the back

The master set has 19 keys. That left 7 slots. There are 7 keys in the Pentaharp line. I have all 7 keys. The Pentaharp, while absolutely NOT a diatonic richter tuned (or anything like any tuning that allowes you to play chords) and therefore receiving horrendous reviews, DOES in fact play uniquely and surprisingly easy when pplaying well isolated single notes. Since my master set is all based on the Special 20/Rocket/Amp/Low chassis, if I mod the Pentaharps to match the other 19, I will be able to fill all 26 slots on the expanded bandolier.

I went back and forth with Rod at Pinegrove about my plan to attach the 10 slot slider to the bandolier. He said that nobody had done that before, so we were experimenting with how it would work out. I am happy to say that the buckle of the bandolier nests firmly between the loops of the slider, locking it in place so it doesn't slide down to the bottom of the bandolier strap.

10 slot belt slider added by threading throug h the bandolier strap and positioning the buckle between slider loops to lock the slider in place.

NGL, to get the bandolier and add-ons delivered stateside was absolutely crazy expensive, but with the money already spent building the 19 key set (plus my other 60+ harps in my collection), it was worth it for me.

More to come later as I mod the Pentaharps to match, mod my Chromatic 270s (with aluminum combs and round holed mouth pieces) and possibly acquire a complete set of keys of the 270, laser etch all of the master set and chromatic 270s with harp key and my logo, and build a custom case (briefcase or modified guitar case) for all of them, mics and cables, and more!

I'm fairly new at harmonicas, i play a bunch of songs with tabs off youtube or Google, on my diatonic C scale harmonica.

However, I wish to play 'Call it Fate, call it karma' by the strokes, but can't find the tabs for it anywhere. I'm not good enough yet to play by ear so need to find notes. I saw the holes vs notes for a diatonic harmonica from YouTube, but I want to know how do I find the tabs/notes for the song . If anyone has the tabs I'd be happy to see but id also like to know if there's a way to find notes for songs without having to do them by ear

We constantly get asked what key diatonic should someone buy, but what key do you NOT have (or, maybe, never use)?

I don't have any Ab, but I could see getting one. I dont have and can't see me getting a B, a Db, or an F#.

My Dad used to carry a harmonica around all the time many years ago and was really good at it. He was especially good at playing along with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils music.

I know nothing about harmonicas but I was visiting my parents last week and we were listening to the OMDs and he was reminiscing so I thought I’d get him a harmonica for Father’s Day.

What kind and key do you recommend? Price is not a factor. Thanks!

Hello! I’ve started playing harmonica recently and I’ve noticed that the high notes I have to inhale on are more difficult than any of the other notes. I have to inhale twice as hard to get even a soft sound, and I’m not sure if it’s a breathing issue on my end or the harmonica itself? Any advice/tips are appreciated!

Any producers or studio players that know of any good amp simulations? I mostly record with DI and need some good sims.

I love blues harp but I can't keep practicing.I have had my harp almost 1 yeah, but I just can play some the simplest pop styles.and I only can read the simple B-D notation x.x

so, could you share your experience, please?