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ive always liked harmonicas...
n thought this year i might try n get one n learn it.
surfing around there are oodles of options.
thus confoosed. lots of types etc.
anyone got any cheap recommends that sound good that wont
break me old pension ??
for example i like the harmonica sound chrissie hind gets on
the pretenders classic..in the middle of the road.
thats the sorta sound.
cheers.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Lots of decent inexpensive harmonicas out there. However, the cost goes up when you start buying one for each key!
One of my favorites is Hohner's 'Blues Harp' -- a bit mellower sound than some, easy enough to play, not very pricey, and decent quality (at least the last time I bought one).
the Insolent LadEnough small empty boxes thrown into a big empty box fill it full. ~Carl Sandburg
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I had a bunch of Marine Band ones. My wife's uncle has a big case with 100 or so in it. Man is he awesome, but 99 percent country.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Key by key can be expensive these days but it allows you to use the harp in a holder while playing another instrument.
Lee Oskar and Hohner Special 20 are my primary choices - this can change depending on what key I'm looking for.
Ian
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For cheap, look for Johnson. They are a Korean (I believe) OEM who have begun releasing product under their own name.
Hohner is the best, but pricy. Last I checked Blues Harps and Marine Bands were in the $25-$30 range. When I was actively playing I carried six or eight to accommodate various guitar keys, plus a couple of chromatics and a Melodica. Hardly cost effective unless you are a pro, or just have the do-re-mi.
Note: If you want to play blues, you need to buy one (or more) in the key(s) that is a fourth above the tonic of the key you will be playing in.
R.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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sorry for my ignorance n i really appreciate the info..
but one of the reasons i asked is i didnt want to buy lots of harmonicas ..
different ones depending on key.
maybe its impossible...but are there any recommendations on a
harmonica brand that would sound good and accomodate a variety of song keys n styles ??
or is this impossible ??
or is it imperative i gotta get harmonicas in different keys ??
prolly a stoopid question from my research so far. lol.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Quote:
sorry for my ignorance n i really appreciate the info..
but one of the reasons i asked is i didnt want to buy lots of harmonicas ..
different ones depending on key.
maybe its impossible...but are there any recommendations on a
harmonica brand that would sound good and accomodate a variety of song keys n styles ??
or is this impossible ??
or is it imperative i gotta get harmonicas in different keys ??
prolly a stoopid question from my research so far. lol.
Marine band and blues harps are diatonic harmonicas that are made to play in one key (which is usually stamped on the end of the harmonica)
There is also a Chromatic harmonica, which has a button you push to select a second set of reeds, and some of them are capable of playing in multiple keys. It depends on the number of holes (reeds actually) in the harmonica. The larger Chromatic harmonicas with more than 10 holes are reportedly able to play in all keys. There are 10-12-14 and 16 hole chromatics. The larger ones will probably tend to get pricey considering that a marine band diatonic now sells for around $25 USD. Your local music store probably sells both kinds. I'm not so sure I'd want to buy a used one, as they tend to get all spitty when you play them, and I'm not so sure I would trust the previous owner's harmonica hygeine.
this article on WIKI has more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonica
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Quote:
For cheap, look for Johnson. They are a Korean (I believe) OEM who have begun releasing product under their own name.
If money is the main consideration, you should ask yourself how many songs you want to use this instrument to play. It may be easier to buy one diatonic harp, and transpose all your harmonica songs to that key, rather than buying a more expensive Chromatic or multiple single-key harmonicas.
I don't know if the brand was Johnson, but I recently saw a display of harmonicas at my local music store for under $10 each.. at that price, it wouldn't be too expensive to buy a few diatonics in the keys you are most likely to need.
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thanks for the info chaps.
gonna visit the pro audio shop this week
ps...pat..loved the albert hall and the take 5 clips.
nice sounds..cheers mate.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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There are some Harmonica Real Tracks. Freebie !!! LOL
Try Craigslist too. Might find something there and e-bay.
Trax
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Our harp player uses Hohner’s Old Standbys He’s had them for a number of years now. Plus they’re very inexpensive, around $10 USD. I’ve purchased one in the key of E just to have fun with. Good luck.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor.
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For a guy who plays saxophone as his main instrument, all harmonicas are cheap ;-)
(sorry, I couldn't resist).
Good luck with your quest.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
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Regarding used harps . . . It's standard practice for experienced players to boil their instruments. You heard me. This is done to limber them up and make it a little easier to bend those notes. It worked, but it was a little demoralizing to see all the crud that came out. Obviously, it will sterilize them too.
Thing is to keep them in water after you do this. Don't know where I heard this, but I did it and it seemed to work.
Sometimes I had to cut some length off of the dividers, which would swell and protrude beyond the covers. Hell on the inside of your lips. I used a Zona or equivalent hobby-type saw to make the fine cuts.
R.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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i obviously have to learn a lot about harminicas..lol.
what a great name for a punk harmonica band..
"The Boiling Harmonicas"..lol.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Be aware that buying cheap harmonicas may not be the best solution, I recently went through the same thing, wanted a solo on a track, so I thought it cant be that difficult. I bought a set of cheap (£22 UK for 7) harmonicas from ebay, and headed for the internet for a heads up on bending etc.
There are lots of differences between harps of different makes and keys. Some keys of the same brand are easier to play than others. But the bottom line is that the more expensive harps are generally more consistent. The cheap ones work, and some quite well, but I found I needed to reset some of the reeds (instructions available on the internet).
I found a local shop that had Lee Oskars for £22 UK, got a couple of those and they just work (after a few weeks of practise on the cheaper ones that is). The Blues harp (about £28 UK locally) is great I have an old one (about 12 years old) which gave up the ghost when I started playing it again, more to do with my technique than the harp, I'm sure, but I've ordered replacement reed plate which is about half the cost of a new harmonica.
Steve
BIAB 2019
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As usual with all musical items, I thought that playing harmonica would be fairly easy. Oh haha...was I ever wrong. It's pretty hard for me, as are most musical endeavors. If you are going to use the harp for awhile, then get a good one. I "play' crossharp because I'm a blues guy, so if the tune is in Emaj for example, then I will be using an A harp.
The whole thing is in breath and tongue control, and it does take a lot of practice, at least for me. I practice over some midi tracks when I want to record harp on a tune. I can't play any melodies yet, just trying to stay on key is a challenge for me!
Note that you can do a lot with a good mic and some subtle effects also.
In any event, have fun!
Fire, the wheel, and the I IV V -- foundations of civilization.
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such wonderfull advice.
very VERY much appreciated mates.
wow..so much to consider.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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.
Hohner Pocket Pal !
Its a low-priced Hohner. Its plastic comb makes it very bendy for the blues. I don't think it comes in every key, but for Key=C its my favorite. I prefer it to Marine Band.
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