Harmonica Help

Kahn · Post by **Kahn** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:50 pm

I know nothing about Harmonica or how to play it. I was looking to get started. Anybody have suggestions for a decent mid-level harmonica. Brands? Types? I don't really know anything besides you need different ones in different keys. I was thinking about getting 5-10 to start with and one of the neck holder things (whats that called). Thanks for the help.

Also looking for online resources for playing.

mdel21 · Post by **mdel21** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:32 pm

I would buy a book like Harmonica for Beginners or something like that.

Once you learn the notes, I think it's pretty self-explanatory.

HumbleMonkey · Post by **HumbleMonkey** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:34 pm

i've been playing for just about a year and a half now. for getting started these right here are good ...http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=421179

you get 7 harps in the A, B#, C, D, E, F, G. that will cover you for most stuff. they sound pretty good for the price considering when you get better ones you will pay that price for just one harp.

hohner is a good name for harmonicas. ive bought all nicer ones then that starter set and ive stuck with hohner. good sound

i call the thing around the neck a rack, i think thats the name.

when you are playing its blowing and drawing, out and in. 10 holes, each hole has two notes basically, one note is when blowing and then drawing raises one note.

when playing single notes there are two techniques, you just have to practice to get the hang of just putting or drawing air into that one hole. one technique is using your tongue to block holes, or the other is just using your lips to cover the other holes, thats what i prefer.

an important technique is bending.

thats a little introduction, hope it might help a little. if you have any specific questions i will try to answer them

its not a very difficult instrument to learn but it can be a lot of fun

Kahn · Post by **Kahn** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:00 pm

Thanks, buut Im looking for something better. Im ok with spending 15-20 buckc a harp, I have a lot of birthday money.

HumbleMonkey · Post by **HumbleMonkey** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:11 pm

in that case i recommend hohner marine bands, i love them

Kahn · Post by **Kahn** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:35 pm

thanks brotha

RunsWithBuffalo · Post by **RunsWithBuffalo** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:14 pm

I have about 15 harmonicas and to be honest, that piedmont blues set is too good a deal to pass up. They sound decent, straight up. Now I wouldn't record with them but for live playing, absolutely.

I have 5 good harmonicas, 25-35 each. The hohner marine band are my personal favorite, i find them very bright and bendable. The blues band have a mellower sound but they are good too.

Oh and I know you are a Ryan Adams fan so be sure to pick up an Eb. They are harder to find but half of his songs are in Bb and he plays them crossharp (lots of drawnotes and bending)

And get a neck rack, it helps with practicing...and it looks really cool...NOT.

Dutch · Post by **Dutch** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:34 pm

RunsWithBuffalo wrote:I have about 15 harmonicas and to be honest, that piedmont blues set is too good a deal to pass up. They sound decent, straight up. Now I wouldn't record with them but for live playing, absolutely.

I have 5 good harmonicas, 25-35 each. The hohner marine band are my personal favorite, i find them very bright and bendable. The blues band have a mellower sound but they are good too.

Oh and I know you are a Ryan Adams fan so be sure to pick up an Eb. They are harder to find but half of his songs are in Bb and he plays them crossharp (lots of drawnotes and bending)

And get a neck rack, it helps with practicing...and it looks really cool...NOT.

i prefer the blues band to the marine band. when i bought my harps i had some really bad intonation problems on several marine band, but all the blues band have been spot on. maybe i just was unlucky. also, i've found the shape of the blues band to be more comfortable when playing without a neck holder because the marine band have those sharp corners and can cut the corner of your mouth.

my .02

RunsWithBuffalo · Post by **RunsWithBuffalo** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:13 pm

Dutch17 wrote:
RunsWithBuffalo wrote:I have about 15 harmonicas and to be honest, that piedmont blues set is too good a deal to pass up. They sound decent, straight up. Now I wouldn't record with them but for live playing, absolutely.

I have 5 good harmonicas, 25-35 each. The hohner marine band are my personal favorite, i find them very bright and bendable. The blues band have a mellower sound but they are good too.

Oh and I know you are a Ryan Adams fan so be sure to pick up an Eb. They are harder to find but half of his songs are in Bb and he plays them crossharp (lots of drawnotes and bending)

And get a neck rack, it helps with practicing...and it looks really cool...NOT.
i prefer the blues band to the marine band. when i bought my harps i had some really bad intonation problems on several marine band, but all the blues band have been spot on. maybe i just was unlucky. also, i've found the shape of the blues band to be more comfortable when playing without a neck holder because the marine band have those sharp corners and can cut the corner of your mouth.

my .02

Did you soak them in beer or water before playing them?

Kahn · Post by **Kahn** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:00 pm

Thanks for the help, I'll check all of that out. I'll probably end up buying a beginners book to start out.

dmb66 · Post by **dmb66** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:59 pm

I have the neck rack or whatever it's called and prefer Hohner blues harps. I would definately recommend the Hohner Blues harps. Very easy to bend and have a more mellow tone than some harps which I think sound too bright (of course it's all personal taste). There is a recording of me playing the blues harp here... http://www.myspace.com/theotherbrothersband ... through a condenser mic without any effects applied to it, so it should be a decent representation of the sound you can expect (the song is Don't Keep Me Wonderin).

Two more things to keep in mind...
1) Much of the sound of a harp comes from your omniscure (sp?), the way you use your lips and mouth muscles to shape the stream of air coming out. Therefore, different players will sound different on different harps
2) Neck racks are extremely useful, but if you can play with your hands, do it. There are major advantages to being able to manipulate the placement of the harp in your mouth and using your hands to apply vibrato and other techniques.

Probably the best thing to do is get a half decent harp and experiment with techniques. You'll pick up a unique sound without too much effort if you stick with it.

-Nick

Kahn · Post by **Kahn** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:04 pm

Any tips on cleaning?

HumbleMonkey · Post by **HumbleMonkey** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:52 pm

Kahn wrote:Any tips on cleaning?

what kind of level of cleaning? for any buildup around the mouth i would just wipe it down with a moist towel or something.

unless you really wanna clean them by taking them apart and doing a complete cleaning, i dont even recommend it

hofdaddy · Post by **hofdaddy** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:35 am

I hope you all know that you were just punked

flandaneran · Post by **flandaneran** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:31 am

start with a harp in the key of G