Harmonica

Diatonica harmonica only has default notes from the diationic scale. You can play other notes by bending and overblowing. It is best suitable for blues and rock. There is also chromatic. It's got a little button on its side. That one can play full chromatic scale(all the notes), but you can't bend on it. So it's not that fun, especially in blues playing, where you normally want to bend, bend, bend :oops:. Anyway, get yourself a C diatonic. You normally play blues in second position which would mean that you'd be playing in key of G.(funny, eh :lol: ). Don't get any of the lower key yet, as it is more difficult to play. But generally, just go to google and search for "blues harp". It'll give lots of useful sites.
I'd by Hohner harmonica first, by the way... But that's just personal preference.
Good luck.

I hate harmonicas. They get people sent out of public places and make babies cry...or is that just me?

bigroadblues.com has some information harmonica to get you started.

This is a good starting place, too: < http://www.harmonicalessons.com >. "Free Online Instruction, Tips, Music- Learn To Play Blues Harp / Harmonicas, Songs, Tabs . . ."

There is a membership fee to access the entire site, but the freebie sections will certainly get you started. Following their suggestions, I bought a Lee Oskar C Major Diatonic. While I was waiting for that to arrive in the mail, I got antsy and went to the music store that's 30-something miles from where I live. There I got a Hohner Special 20 in F Major. Since then, I've also acquired a three-pack of Jambone harps, Bb, D, and G. That should give me a shot at more Bob Dylan and Neil Young material.

Somebody mentioned in passing about getting more than one key from a given harp. Some brands even mark on one end of the harp what its major key is, and the key for "second position," AKA "cross harp" is marked on the other end. A lot of blues, country, and rock players use 2nd position, including Mick Jagger, Paul Butterfield, Huey Lewis, Steven Tyler, and many others. There are also third and fourth positions for getting minor and flat-minor scales out of a harmonica.

Play on!

--
Doug

Cool guys, thanks for all the tips. Gonna check out those sites.

Hey DayZd,

What's up with that? You saw the topic and you decided to just post because you had to let someone know that you hate harmonicas? If you have nothing contructive to say, then move onto another topic...

I got a harp too and I haven't been able to spend enough time with it without sacrificing practice with the guitar...

Good luck!

J

Hey DayZd,

What's up with that? You saw the topic and you decided to just post because you had to let someone know that you hate harmonicas? If you have nothing contructive to say, then move onto another topic...
I *think* DayZd was using the "I hate harmonicas" line as a lead-in to a wry joke: "They get people sent out of public places and make babies cry...or is that just me?" Okay, watch me expand on his schtick:
Yeah, DayZd, it's you. I mean, playing the harmonica in public is okay, even if you're playing the 1812 Overture, but accompanying yourself with the cannons was probably what got you kicked out of the mall.

:lol:

I just picked up a harmonica a little while ago (D diatonic, if you were curious). Oddly, I find bending to be REALLY easy (I've heard it's actually really hard, so I think i might be doing it wrong). I'm glad I didn't pick up a chromatic harmonica though since you can't bend on it, I really want to learn the wizard by sabbath but I can't figure out how to do it, are there any good (and, more importantly, free) harmonica sites that'll show me tabs or music or something?

I just picked up a harmonica a little while ago (D diatonic, if you were curious). Oddly, I find bending to be REALLY easy (I've heard it's actually really hard, so I think i might be doing it wrong).
I think some of the holes (hole 2 draw comes to mind) may be harder to bend than others. Plus there's a way to bend some notes a half step or a whole step. HarmonicaLessons.com has info on bending technique.
I really want to learn the wizard by sabbath but I can't figure out how to do it, are there any good (and, more importantly, free) harmonica sites that'll show me tabs or music or something?
Freebie harp tabs can be tough to find, at least for good rock stuff. HarmonicaLessons.com has tab for The Wizard, but you have to be a member to get at it. It is played on a D harp, but in second position (A). Other sites might have the tab for free; try Googlin' for it.

Just got the harmonica tonight. ITs a Hohnor "Blues Harp MS". Guitarcenter didn't have the Lee Oskar. It's all gravy though. Give me a week to get used to it eh, and I'll get back to you all on my progress ;). As of now, my friends find me very annoying.

Great, Taso. A tip: smack all the spit out of it every time you finish playing --- it will last a lot longer.

Just got the harmonica tonight. ITs a Hohnor "Blues Harp MS". Guitarcenter didn't have the Lee Oskar. It's all gravy though. Give me a week to get used to it eh, and I'll get back to you all on my progress ;). As of now, my friends find me very annoying.
Well, I've heard the saying that "A gentleman is a man whoi can play the bagpipes -- and doesn't" but AFAIK, no one's said that about the harmonica yet. :lol:
I just had a CD show up in the mail today, one I'd purchased from somebody in Canada via eBay. Our friends in The Great White North have helped out again, this time with an unopened copy of Neil Young's Harvest Moon. Although I'm not going to be able to do much with it until I'm over this miserable cold I have, I'm looking forward to sitting down with David Hodge's lesson on the title song. I also have a G harp tab for it in my collection. If I can find a Linda Ronstadt-type backup singer, I'll be a very happy camper. 8)