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