I was just gonna buy some strings.. and bought a harmonica!!

kissing

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I was just ebaying for some uke strings (D'addario Pro Artes <3), but it seemed a pity to pay for so much shipping for just strings.. so I browsed on that store and a Hohner Educator 10 Chromatic harmonica caught my eye.

Especially because its a chromatic, rather than diatonic, so I can use it as a melodic instrument.
Lookin' forward to it. Anyone else into harmonicas?

M1040-C.jpg


At around $40 with very positive reviews, the price was right :)
(chromatics generally seem to be well over $100)

(can someone explain to me how this thing plays 2.5 octaves?!)
 
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I have one, but never learned to play it. As you can see from my user name, I went in another direction. Um, this is a ukulele forum... maybe that's why you have gotton no replies. Do a search for a harmonica forum. I'm sure they exist. Good luck and happy 2011.
 
I always carry a harmonica around in my pocket. You never know when you might be stranded somewhere and need to pass the time!
 
Your harmonica as shown has 10 holes, it goes like this to cover 2.5 octaves:
hole#1: blowin C, out D
#2: blowin E, out F
#3: G / A
#4: C / B
You can see now 4 holes cover one octave. Therefore 10 / 4 = 2.5 octave
As it is chromatic, you can also play sharp and flat notes.
Very nice harmonica.
 
The biggest step to playing a harp is learning to bend notes, and bend them properly.

I, too, always have a harp around... To be so small, they are capable of some beautiful sounds.

I learned this the first month of playing:



There are tabs in the video description. At first, it seemed very difficult. Once I got down note bending, it was a piece of cake. I'm really not that good at harmonica. I play a few tunes here and there... but when I bust out Amazing Grace, people think I'm really good haha.

I have never heard of that particular harmonica brand. I'm a Hohner fan. Get yourself a Hohner Special 20 if you want to have something very easy to play, and very easy to bend notes, while being very airtight. Being airtight is a BIG plus. I had been playing a cheap harp I bought for less than $10. I thought it played awesome until I got my lips on the Hohner. Now, I can't even play the cheap harp because I run out of breath so quickly. Trust me on this.

One more thing, learn how to set up the reeds. I can just about assure you that the reeds in your harp need some minor adjusting. To put it into a more common perspective, have you ever played a guitar/uke that hasn't had the action or intonation properly set up? If so, you know what I'm talking about. It is just as important with harmonicas.

Have fun with it!
 
Love, Love, Love.....did I say Love....playing the harp.....I've played for funerals and you name it and the response after is always the same....everybody loves the harmonica peaceful sound.....Duane
 
Anyone else into harmonicas?
I play and review diatonic harmonicas. Mostly as accompaniment to blues and some folk music. I tried a Bee chromatic from an eBay seller but it was crap. So I stick to diatonics. but might try a chromatic again.

Carlos del Junco can bend his diatonic harps to get pretty much any note as well as any chromatic. Jerry Portnoy can also reach notes on a diatonic I didn't think were possible.
 
I play and review diatonic harmonicas. Mostly as accompaniment to blues and some folk music. I tried a Bee chromatic from an eBay seller but it was crap. So I stick to diatonics. but might try a chromatic again.

Carlos del Junco can bend his diatonic harps to get pretty much any note as well as any chromatic. Jerry Portnoy can also reach notes on a diatonic I didn't think were possible.


Have you compared the Lee Oscars to the Hohners? I'm
 
I play a lot of blues harmonica. Favourites are Hohner Golden Melody and Lee Oskar. Last time I saw Carlos he was playing Golden Melodys.

The Chromatic harps are great for melody because one harp covers every key. They tend to be very difficult to bend for blues though. And the learning curve for melody is also a bit steeper because you need to use the lever to get the sharps and flats instead of just picking up another harmonica for a different key.

Like others have said already, there are a few masters of the chromatic who can bend like Beckham and some masters of the diatonic who can nail the right semitones using mouth technique alone.

Enjoy your new harmonica. Like the ukulele they are little and versatile.
 
Harmonicas are cool! Personally, I like the Marine Band line. I had bought a couple of Lee Oskars, they are very well made but I just prefer good old Marine Bands.

Strange enough, I like to spare my good Marine Bands and buy up el cheapo American Ace (cheap but good Hohner harps) and take them with me when I'm in a harmonica playin' mood.
Ernest

PS: My dogs love my harmonica practicing and Indian bansuri practicing but they dive for cover when I reach for my Feadog tin whistles!
 
I've ordered some custom harmonicas setup by a Blues musician named Deak Harp who I took some lessons from. I'm hoping these customs make it more easy to get the bend notes and tone than out-of-the-box harmonicas. If it does, maybe I'll review them in comparison to out-of-the-box harps.

If you want to bend correctly, put a chromatic tuner as you practice each bend position. Each different keyed harp is unique in its ability to give you what you are trying to accomplish. Its like you have to have 20 girlfriends and know how to make each one of them uniquely happy.
 
I've played many harmonicas over many years and eventually came to prefer Hohner Special 20's...
...but lately, I'm starting to like Seydel Session Steel harps (although their nasty $60 price tag somewhat mitigates my joy!) :D

I've ordered some custom harmonicas setup by a Blues musician named Deak Harp who I took some lessons from...

I don't own any yet, but Deak Custom harps certainly get a lot of raves on the boards! He seems to be quite an interesting cat as a musician, too!

I play and review diatonic harmonicas...

Ian's harp reviews are very helpful! See his sig line for the link...
 
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