Anyone Play The Harmonica?

[Smokin Joe]

Cheers all, hopefully it will arrive tomorrow. Mrs SJ is thrilled for me, I can tell because she rolled her eyes like she always does when I show her my latest toy.

 

[Sharky]

Cheers all, hopefully it will arrive tomorrow. Mrs SJ is thrilled for me, I can tell because she rolled her eyes like she always does when I show her my latest toy.

How did it go?

I'm a completely non trained music person and play by "ear", but can knock out a tune on a basic harmonica. I did have a chromatic one as well, but never really got the hang of it. However my OH keeps asking what I want for Xmas and thinking of trying again.

So can anyone recommend a reasonable chromatic harmonica?

 

[Biker BoB]

How did it go?

I'm a completely non trained music person and play by "ear", but can knock out a tune on a basic harmonica. I did have a chromatic one as well, but never really got the hang of it. However my OH keeps asking what I want for Xmas and thinking of trying again.

So can anyone recommend a reasonable chromatic harmonica?

I wonder after 7 years weather he managed to complete the twinkle star rhyme

 

[dicko]

I have a blues harp. Learnt some of the basics.

Me too

 

[EckyH]

So can anyone recommend a reasonable chromatic harmonica?

Disclaimer: I'm just a beginner on harmonicas in general and on chromatic in particular.

My approach is to buy a decent instrument, even it costs more, just to be sure that I am the culprit when it sounds badly.
Therefore I bought a Seydel Saxony and I like it very much. It sounds good to my ears, it's very well made (in Germany) and spare parts like a different shaped mouth piece, screws and valves are available.

E.

 

[Sharky]

Disclaimer: I'm just a beginner on harmonicas in general and on chromatic in particular.

My approach is to buy a decent instrument, even it costs more, just to be sure that I am the culprit when it sounds badly.
Therefore I bought a Seydel Saxony and I like it very much. It sounds good to my ears, it's very well made (in Germany) and spare parts like a different shaped mouth piece, screws and valves are available.

E.

I treated myself to an EastTop chromatic. Cost about £80. But I seem to have gone back to my old "Hero" harmonica, that I've had for 60 years. I can play anything on that, as long as it is in the scale of "C".

I just can't get the hang yet of pushing the lever at the right time to get the half notes.

 

[EckyH]

But I seem to have gone back to my old "Hero" harmonica, that I've had for 60 years. I can play anything on that, as long as it is in the scale of "C".

On diatonic harmonicas my biggest issue are bendings, overdraws and overblows are far beyond my capabilities yet.
And I don't like the "dirty" bending sounds for more or less classical music.

I just can't get the hang yet of pushing the lever at the right time to get the half notes.

My approach is to push the lever, breath in or breath out, release the lever and play very slowly and choose pieces with a very low amount of half notes for the beginning. For me it's more or less similar to stop with a bicycle with clipless pedals: slow down, get the foot out of the pedal, stop and tip the bicycle to the "free foot side". It's just a matter of practise.
Perhaps that could help you.

If I can do something, then it can't be complicated.
Good luck!

E.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I bought a blues harp when I was about 15 (in C I think). It's a bit like badminton. Easy to pick up and get to a good standard, but takes a lot of learning and practice to be really good. I think already knowing the guitar helped a bit as it's a similar concept (i.e. low notes to high notes on a linear scale). As the simple ones are all based on a scale anyway, you can't go too wrong if you blow in more than one hole

 

[EckyH]

As the simple ones are all based on a scale anyway, you can't go too wrong if you blow in more than one hole

There is at least one simple piece which is intentionally played on mostly two holes - the "Pat & Mat" theme: https://www.harptabs.com/song.php?ID=18233

For the record: Pat & Mat are the undisputed world champions of DIY and they are cyclists as well:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZG9B07Aabc


E.

 

[Sharky]

I reckon I'm getting pretty good on the old harmonica. I even get requests, but there is one song I can't find the score for.

My OH, keeps asking me to play "Over the hill and faraway"!

 

[Arjimlad]

I tried a couple of Seydel diatonics but they didn't last all that long compared with Hohner Special 20s or Lee Oskars.

I particularly like Lee Oskar, I have one which gives a minor A scale when played in cross-harp.

 

[EckyH]

I tried a couple of Seydel diatonics but they didn't last all that long compared with Hohner Special 20s or Lee Oskars.

Sorry to read that.
Could you please tell which Seydel model(s) you had and which parts didn't last that long?
My most used diatonic from Seydel is a Lightning in the key of C with stainless steel reeds. Usually I practise at least a few minutes per day on that harmonica not overly loud or "hard". I have that harmonica for a year now and cannot perceive any kind of wear. But probably that's much less than you play on your harmonicas.

Disclaimer: I don't have any commercial or personal connections to Seydel other than being a (fairly satisfied) customer.

E.

 

[Arjimlad]

Sorry to read that.
Could you please tell which Seydel model(s) you had and which parts didn't last that long?
My most used diatonic from Seydel is a Lightning in the key of C with stainless steel reeds. Usually I practise at least a few minutes per day on that harmonica not overly loud or "hard". I have that harmonica for a year now and cannot perceive any kind of wear. But probably that's much less than you play on your harmonicas.

Disclaimer: I don't have any commercial or personal connections to Seydel other than being a (fairly satisfied) customer.

E.

Looks like the classic blues one with wooden body. The usual reed I wear out is the third note on the blues/cross scale because it gets bent so often!