Blues harp

[Sarah93003]

I just thought I would share the fun time I had tonight. Sometimes on Sunday night I go to a local place for open mic night. It's a lot of fun and there are some very talented folks who show up. Tonight was a low turn out for some reason so instead of "open mic" we opted for a jam session. We had three on guitar, one on bongos, and one keyboard. I happened to have my bag of goodies with me which includes four harmonicas of different keys. Someone wanted to play "Mary Janes Last Dance" by Tom Petty so I got all inspired and broke out the harp.

The place went beserk! I don't think any of them had ever seen a girl play harp before. So we broke into a string of blues tunes and I just kept going on the harmonicas. It was a blast! I think I'll do this more often.

[Veenture]

Now that's enjoyment!

[Haole Jim]

"Where/how" does one begin playing blues harp, Sarah?

Recommendation for an ultra-beginner instrument and key?

Thank you!

Eew...'anyone ever seen a Mosrite used for blues? Kinda a weird idea, like church-saxaphone....

[Sarah93003]

"Where/how" does one begin playing blues harp, Sarah?

Recommendation for an ultra-beginner instrument and key?

Thank you!

Eew...'anyone ever seen a Mosrite used for blues? Kinda a weird idea, like church-saxaphone....

The internet is a good place to start, especially YouTube. There are a lot of great albums as well. Little Walter is my favs. If you want to be serious about it, I'd say get pro level harmonicas. If not, then the cheapies are fine.

This guy is one of my favorites on YouTube and has several instructional videos. Here is a sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-rWThb6eQs

[Dennisthe Menace]

HERE YA GO FOLKS, ONE OF THE TOP 10 HARP PLAYERS - IMHO

[Veenture]

These two ain't so bad either

[Haole Jim]

So, one walks into the local music store and asks for a_______ in the key of_______.

Please fill in the blanks.

Thank you.

[twango the clown]

Well, I can field that one.
I've played blues harp (and before that harmonica,) for about forty years.
Back in Sixty-Nine, when I had to get int a band or die, and didn't have any guitar skills beyond simple chords, my childhood harmonica skills came into play...
Let me tell you what I know.
What you want to buy depends on what you want to do: for straight blues, and rock styles, you want any of Hohner's diatonic series. I'm talking about the Marine Band (20-hole diatonic) Blues Harp, Old Standby, Piedmont, and all those under $30 harps that most large stores sell. You may need several, as bands have an annoying tendency not to play in just one key. Guitar players tend to like key of G (C harp) E (Key of A harp) and D (G harp,) so that means, if you are playing a blues, your harp is in the key of the second chord of the progression. This will enable you to "bend notes" on several holes (inhaling) of the right harp. Now, once you have the right harp, and the music going, you will be surprised at how easy that part is.
It is in fact so easy, that a very large number of us dope-smoking hippies picked it up very swiftly in the sixties when we discovered what an effect it had on our (AHEM!) sex lives.
Once you have mastered this, it is quite simple to play chords on your guitar and jam with yourself if you can get a Hohner (or Elton) harmonica holder(The wire frame like Bob Dylan.) Once you learn to jam with yourself on two instruments, you will be ready to go up against those piano guys.
It will help if you have an authorized Hohner dealer in your town, a music store that knows your face. You can walk in and order what you want in person. Unfortunately, many of the music store dealers (including mine!) have gone under during the recent troubles.
Now, on to the harder stuff (again, not so hard.)
Stevie and his German pal are playing Chromatic, or "pushbutton" harmonicas..(not harps any more.)
Chromatics start at around $100, and come in several types. A chromatic is actually two harps stacked in the same casing, pitched a half step (like G to G#) apart. When you press the button, the shield slides over and blocks where you were, exposing the reeds on the sharp side.
If you like to bend notes on a chromatic, like Stevie and Magic Dick, you have only two options that I am aware of. The Hohner "Chromonica" features the usual diatonic scale that you will learn on a blues harp. I believe it still comes equipped with plastic baffles, which will choke out your reed when you start a note bend; the idea was to prevent damage to the reed.
Us harp guys need to bend, or else what's the point? Pros like Charlie Musselwhite, Magic Dick, James Cotten and Stevie wonder just field-strip the harp, take the plastic strips off, and go to town. This entails a certain risk, but what do they care? If they mess it up, they'll buy new ones.
That's one option, but not mine.
There was a German company called Koch, (Never mind how it's pronounced, you don't want to know.)
I was given one in the eighties at a wedding I played, and got knocked out!
That harp (they only come in C and G) bends like a Marine Band and has the button too! You will find new worlds!
Mine, unfortunately, developed a crack in the comb (the wooden part) and is no longer airtight.
This company has been long since bought out by Hohner, but on the online Hohner site they offer it. About a C-note. (Hah! a C-note, get it?!?) You won't laugh when you sign the check, but the harmonica is to die for,and...
That ain't all.
Hohner also offers the twenty-hole Marine Band in alternate tunings that will give you other possibilities. You can get a Harmonic minor (like the Munster theme) or a natural minor (like Greensleeves with the wierd major notes) tuning, or numerous types of octave (like a 12-string) double hole tunings.
Depending on what you do, you can find a use for all of them. The total expenditure for a good spread is about the same as for one guitar.
Or, you could just but one and see if you like it.
As Bob Dylan and others have showed us, it gives folks a nice break from the usual guitar solo.
Compared to what you've already probably spent on guitars (this is the Mosrite Forum, right?) this is a very small, and very fun investment!

[dubtrub]

Thanks for the excellent overview Twango.

[Sarah93003]

Fantastic explanation Twango! I wish I was technical enough to say all that. The harps I'm currently using, and like are Hohner Pro Harp MS. I have keys of A, D, E, and G which covers the vast majority of songs that I play. I hadn't touched a harp in years and in the past couple of months have found a renewed interest and I'm having a blast picking it back up. It is also fun to experiment with different mics, amps and effects pedals. YouTube has an abundance of harp videos and some are just awesome to listen to.