paisley Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 ok, assume you were buying a harmOnica for somebody who plays but doesn't have one... what key you you buy for them? clueless about harmonicas, I was thinking G or C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Those are classic "folk" keys, so they would be good choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 speedy reply, thanks MarcO have the questioning party on the phone... viva le internet! goin with the G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 G - The Key Of The People!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 A really good harp to play ( and would make a good gift ) is a " Lee Oskar ". FYI, Lee Oskar was/is the harp player in War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 yeah, actually Lee played here in hamilton a couple of years ago @ mermaid's lounge... was somehow more of a pitch to sell his harmonica's but he played a good harp as well(he had all the keys of harps)... thanks! "G, key of the people" - sounds like a Socialist Sesame Street tune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 if the person will be mainly be playing blues harp...or at least learning, you will need to get a harp in a different key than the actual blues key. For blues in E, which is a common jammin' key, you need a harp in the key of A. That's called cross-harp. Check out this link. THe Crossharp key is the one you would want to buy. Keys, E and A are pretty common in blues jammin. But, I think the key of E is the most common. That's just my experience though. So an A harp would be the choice in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kung Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Bouche is right about transposing four notes down but that always confuses me when the guitar player is in say C then you have to go down B A G F and play the harp in F. That said most people start on a C harp because it has a comfortable range of sound that sounds kind of bluesy if you like. Higher harps can be hard for beginners because you feel like one of the Harp's that Popper keeps holstered away and pulls out like once a show and plus you're no fucking Popper. The 234 spots played in a cross harp style (blowing and creating two tones out of the draw notes on each hole) on a C harp can enable you to cheat majorly and sound like some sort of pro and you're playing a total of like 9 notes. You can't fool actual musicians with this kind of shit though. Also Lee Oscar are really good harps especially the Pro Harp which might have been what Jaimoe is talking about but they also have a weird transposition to the keys so you actually need to learn proper blues scales to actually play all the notes in ascending order. So go with a run of the mill $20-30 harp but none of the weird key, transposed scale stuff- it's actually really frustrating if you're trying to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Well for me its always been a "D" harp,when I started (13yrs ago)I found the "D" was the easiest and that the range of the "D" worked well,I never had any formal training but I really like D,F,E,A mostly cause I played blues back then................ there is also the question of the FLATS! Esau13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Musicface Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Hey folks! quote: Originally posted by kung: Bouche is right about transposing four notes down but that always confuses me when the guitar player is in say C then you have to go down B A G F and play the harp in F. That said most people start on a C harp because it has a comfortable range of sound that sounds kind of bluesy if you like. Higher harps can be hard for beginners because you feel like one of the Harp's that Popper keeps holstered away and pulls out like once a show and plus you're no fucking Popper. Hey Kung, if you're talking about the fact that F-major is generally the highest pitched harp and trickiest to play, you're absolutely right however Lee Oscar, Suzuki & I believe Hohner as well make "Low-F" harps that are very easy to play and sound quite cool. I know you pay a premium for the Lee's in Low-F (2 or 3 bucks more usually) but it's worth it if you want something that plays blues in C and doesn't sound so "tweety" in the high end. quote: Also Lee Oscar are really good harps especially the Pro Harp which might have been what Jaimoe is talking about but they also have a weird transposition to the keys so you actually need to learn proper blues scales to actually play all the notes in ascending order. To clarify (as I have some expertise in this area): Lee Oscar makes 4 different types of "diatonic" (as opposed to chromatic, the kind with the button on the side used mostly by jazz and classical players) harps: * "major" - this is the standard type that most people know, same as Hohner and everbody else * "natural minor" - a harp designed to be played primarily in the blues-y "cross-harp" position that plays a natural minor scale in this mode * "harmonic minor" - designed to be played "straight" and plays what people might think of a gypsy or Eurpoean folk music-sounding scale * "melody maker" - plays the whole major scale in cross position The basic rule: DO NOT buy anything other than a "major" Lee Oscar harp (the ones coded RED) unless you're buying for an expert harp player who has asked for something specific or likes to experiment. FYI, if you're interested in hearing examples of these, there are songs on Uncle Seth's Lame Suburban Poetry CD which use many of these: natural minor on "Skylight" (in the bridge/solo section) & "Rabbi from Texas" and melody maker on "Gentle Shove of Fate". The Pro Harp that Kung mentions are a set of very good quality harps made by Hohner, comparable to the Lee Oscars. They are characterized by being a very sleek looking all-black. These would be my recommendations: * A Lee Oscar or Hohner Pro Harp are fairly "high-end" choices, very good quality but it'll cost ya a bit more (probably around the 35-40 dollar range) * Something like a Hohner Special 20 is the "run-of-the-mill" harp. FYI, this is what Popper uses. They're not as durable as the Lee's or Pro Harps, but of course Popper gets them for free from Hohner and throws about 20 off the stage each night (I know, I have two! ), so he doesn't really have to worry about that. But they sound just fine and will work great for the casual player. * Some people prefer a wooden comb as opposed to plastic. Personally don't think wood sounds as good 'cus it lets more air escape, but some think it sounds warmer. For a good wooden harp, the class Hohner Blues Harp or Marine Band are both excellent. Hope that helps a bit! Or hope it doesn't confuse things too much more anyway! Peace, Mr. M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Musicface Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 P.S. Good reference: http://www.harpdepot.com/, an American site that sells harps. You may or may not actually want to buy from them, but they include their own little comments about each type of harp which are actually very useful. - M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 hola canola! thanks people, the deed has been done but thats some good reading... maybe I want a harp now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Get a "G" and you're automatically in Blue Grassy High...! oops....did I let out a little secret..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave-O Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 ^^^ Ain't that the truth!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 I have a G! You know that! Why would you even make that announcement if you knew I had a G? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave-O Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Sweeeet! You're in the band. Oh, wait a sec... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted December 21, 2002 Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 Here's a picture of a bunch of G's: It would be cool if they were in Blue Grassy High. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted December 21, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 like the new avatar hux, looks like you're gettin serious... G harp blues it is... xmas gift to myself this year... about time to stop being intimidated by next easiest instrument to the kazoo (hmmm, maybe gonna have to take on the kazoo this year too) Uptown Jug Champion on th way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudly Posted December 21, 2002 Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 G is also very conducive to Neil Young....so get a chin strap, grab your acoustic and I'll drop a couple of loonies in your gig bag outside of the liquor store.....or do you guys get to buy your booze cold at the corner store like it should be?......damn...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted December 21, 2002 Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 i've used my G only for neil young type songs, and also to play some stuff in any dead or beatles songs in G. I can't imagine what else I'd do with it, or maybe D blues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Musicface Posted December 22, 2002 Report Share Posted December 22, 2002 My favorite "straight" diatonic playing (i.e. key of the tune is the actual pitch of the harmonica being played) ever is Springsteen's version of "The River" from Live In NYC - that's on a harp in G. The intro to that just makes me cry like a baby girl. "Heart Of Gold" I believe also uses a G harp, as do a number of Dylan tune if memory serves. It's also the lowest "regular" pitched harp, so if your friend is playing around with learning some bending and such, that's a good harp to start with for that as well. Good call Paisley! Peace, Mr. M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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