BluesHarp for Beginners

eric-vaxxine

Hi everyone

This is just a friendly note that other keen beginners might
benefit from.
I took up learning BluesHarp three years ago after a fateful
encounter with a harmonica in E.
Despite carrying an A harp around in my gig bag for 10 years
I never managed to bend a note on it.

But on May 15 2009, in a music shop in Krakow, Poland, I picked
up a harmonica in E and sucked on it......amazingly I could bend notes
effortlessley !!!! That was when my love affair started and made a
commitment to persue the instrument.

Over the years I have learned that in 'Harmonica Land', you get what
you pay for. Expensive harmonicas are expensive because they
are better quality and, as a novice, I notice that I bend notes more
accurately using a Marine Band Deluxe than on my Hohner Blues harp
in the same key !

In my experience, C D E and high F harps require less effort to
make convincing bends.

Harmonicas do not age well, unlike guitars.
In my experience, the newer the better.

Players have an etiquette between them that says you don't just pick
up someone's harmonica and try it. If they don't invite you to play their
harmonica, then they don't want your mouth on it.

Get yourself in front of an experienced player.
Even just one lesson on tongue blocking will last you for months
in practice.

Adam Gussow's lessons on YouTube are free.

There's a lot more I'd like to share, but, before it gets too boring....
Bye....

eric-vaxxine

This is an old clip playing the 'E' harp
I bought in Poland...as mentioned above.

It's a Lee Oskar and has a plastic comb.

An 'E' harp would suit blues in 'B'

Any decent harp player would cringe at all the duff
and stray notes typical of a novice....but this harp
inspired me to persue the little diatonic devil.

=

DonRoos

First mistake I mader was to buy a harp in the key of the songs I wanted to play. Only found out later that blues harp is played in 2nd position. I created this table to make it easier.

Harp 1st 2nd 3rd
A A E Bm
Bb Bb F Cm
B B F# Dbm
C C G Dm
Db Db Ab Ebm
D D A Em
Eb Eb Bb Fm
E E B F#m
F F C Gm
F# F# Db Abm
G G D Am
Ab Ab Eb Bbm

deefstes

Thanks guys, I've bought a harmonica (in C) some years ago and got nowhere. Now it's just gathering dust and I'm just get less and less of a harmonica player. These posts might change that.

Allow me to ask a few questions:
1. I see you keep using the word "harp" as opposed to "harmonica". Is there a difference? If I walk into a music shop and I want to buy an instrument with which I can do what you're doing in your video, what should I ask for?

2. In case the music shop salesman doesn't have a clue, how can I look at a harmonica and know that it is the right one?

3. I know better harmonicas are more expensive but, without breaking the budget, how much should I expect to pay for a harmonica that is suitable for this type of playing? Also what names should I be looking out for?

4. What are these different "positions" you speak of?

5. How do you actually bend a note? Is it a simple matter of blowing/drawing harder and softer? If so, how do you get constant volume while bending?

Mannemarak

went to Exclusive books and bought a book WITH a harmonica (key of C) for R 117.

Beginners course thing, had it two days and can bend some of the notes, though it does take practice.

So I guess it is a good place to start ?

DonRoos

Being a beginer myself I can only answer to the best of my current knowledge

deefstes wrote: 1. I see you keep using the word "harp" as opposed to "harmonica". Is there a difference? If I walk into a music shop and I want to buy an instrument with which I can do what you're doing in your video, what should I ask for?

As far as I am concerned, harmonica generally refers to a chromatic instrament (more than 10/12 holes) and often have a slide button. Harps generally refer to the 10/12 hole blues harps also called diatonic. These come in different keys for songs in different keys.

2. In case the music shop salesman doesn't have a clue, how can I look at a harmonica and know that it is the right one?

If it has 10/12 holes and has a mark on it that identifies the key (i.e. E) then it a blues harp

3. I know better harmonicas are more expensive but, without breaking the budget, how much should I expect to pay for a harmonica that is suitable for this type of playing? Also what names should I be looking out for?

I know only Hohner as a good name but there are several more. Blues harps typically cost R150-R200 for a mid quality and more than R500 for good ones

4. What are these different "positions" you speak of?

You would think that if the song is written inE you would buy a harp in E. However, because of the unusual layout of the notes it is generally easier to play the harp in the 2nd position. So, refer to the table I posted earlier, find the key you want to play in in the 2nd column and then find the key or 1st position that corresponds and buy that harp. So, if you have a song in B you need a harp in E. (Add 3 i.e. From B +1= C, +2 =D, +3 = E)

5. How do you actually bend a note? Is it a simple matter of blowing/drawing harder and softer? If so, how do you get constant volume while bending?

Bending is more about changing the way your tongue fills your mouth as you blow. But this is currently a bit beyond my capabilities.

domhatch

good post chaps, thanks for all the info, much appreciated...

Bob-Dubery

DonRoos wrote:
4. What are these different "positions" you speak of?
You would think that if the song is written inE you would buy a harp in E. However, because of the unusual layout of the notes it is generally easier to play the harp in the 2nd position. So, refer to the table I posted earlier, find the key you want to play in in the 2nd column and then find the key or 1st position that corresponds and buy that harp. So, if you have a song in B you need a harp in E. (Add 3 i.e. From B +1= C, +2 =D, +3 = E)

On a C harp, the draw (suck) note on the 2nd hole (with the instrument held with the low notes to the left) is a G. The C harp is what you want to use for "cross harp" (blues) playing over the key of G. So a rule of thumb is that the draw note on the 2nd hole tells you what key you use that harp for.

Assuming it's a 10 hole richter tuned (blues tuned) harp. Which it probably will be.

Coming back to the C harp over a G song. The two major scales are nearly identical. The one difference is that the G scale has an F# and the C scale has an F. So now, with the C harp, you have the dominant 7th note for the root chord, and the minor third note for the 5 chord. Which makes life a bit more rock 'n roll.

"Harmonica" is really a name for a family of instruments. There are different types, different tunings, different constructions. I had a happy few minutes this morning reading about Asian "tremolo" harmonicas and the difference between "wet" and "dry" tremolo harmonicas.

Really the harmonicas have a lot in common with the accordion family of instruments, and I'd guess that the harmonica and accordion family both are subsets of the "free reed" family of instruments. Accordions and harmonics both rely on a vibrating reed, both have different reeds for different notes, both have blow and draw notes (or can have) and may be either diatonic or chromatic.

This may be more than you needed to know, but you can discard the inconvenient bits ?

deefstes

Thanks guys. I think it's high time I make work of getting this thing down.

Alex-B-Broadway

A quick Google search unearthed this:

http://www.orangemusic.co.za/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=431

and this:

http://www.musicworldsa.co.za/Search.aspx?Keyword=Harmonica

It's all a little confusing. ??? I'm keeping an eye out for all the harmonica threads since I'm really tempted to give it a shot.

Chabenda

I picked up a Hohner in E in JHB a month or so back....enjoying it immensely, unlike my dog who joins me by howling in the third position! Thanks for all of the info!

V8

Alex B Broadway wrote: It's all a little confusing. ??? I'm keeping an eye out for all the harmonica threads since I'm really tempted to give it a shot.

I've got a couple cheapie "Silver Star" (made by hohner) blues harp's - ok for a beginner I reckon. From the books I read (Idiots/Dummies guides from the library on 6week loan), they generally reccomend starting with a C harp/harmonica - reading the books was really interesting and useful as a glossary (cross harp/2nd position) and what harp/harmonica for what purpose (as Bob & Don have mentioned)

I started with nursery rhymes...a few years later and I'm still on nursery rhymes, but I havn't spent much time working on techniques (tongue blocking, hiesh), I generally just pick it up and mess around.

Locally, Dave Ferguson plays a mean harp, seen him live a few times and I blame him (in the nicest possible way :?) for initially picking up a harp.

DonRoos

V8 wrote: Locally, Dave Ferguson plays a mean harp, seen him live a few times and I blame him (in the nicest possible way :?) for initially picking up a harp.

I watched Dave do a session with a looping station. He lays down a bass track by playing his harp through an octaver and a whole string of other pedals (pedals on a harp?) and then layer some shakers, a melody and finally some great riffs over the top. He is also instrumental in me picking it up.

eric-vaxxine

Nevermind all the chat

Grab Your A harp and learn this intro
Tongue blocked to this classic tune.

Copy the Solo.....

=

eric-vaxxine

My pleasure....
I learned a lot from the internet, particularly Adam Gussow

.....go to 2.20 for the riff...

=

eric-vaxxine

deefstes wrote: Thanks guys, I've bought a harmonica (in C) some years ago and got nowhere. Now it's just gathering dust and I'm just get less and less of a harmonica player. These posts might change that.

Allow me to ask a few questions:
1. I see you keep using the word "harp" as opposed to "harmonica". Is there a difference? If I walk into a music shop and I want to buy an instrument with which I can do what you're doing in your video, what should I ask for?

2. In case the music shop salesman doesn't have a clue, how can I look at a harmonica and know that it is the right one?

3. I know better harmonicas are more expensive but, without breaking the budget, how much should I expect to pay for a harmonica that is suitable for this type of playing? Also what names should I be looking out for?

4. What are these different "positions" you speak of?

5. How do you actually bend a note? Is it a simple matter of blowing/drawing harder and softer? If so, how do you get constant volume while bending?

Sorry...I completely didn't reply at all to your post. Apologies.

1) The one you hear is in 'E'. Buy any harmonica except the cheapest.
2 + 3) In a nutshell, Hohner Marine Band harmonicas are very playable,
reliable and affordable.
4) Don't worry too much about positions. Two harmonicas you will certainly
need, if playing with guitarists are one in A and one in D.
A harp for songs in E and D harp for songs in A.

5) Bending notes can be done in two ways.

Tongue Block
Draw (suck) a clear single note
and then begin blocking that hole gently with your tongue.

Pucker
Draw a clear single note and then tighten your mouth shape
into a 'pucker', restricting, changing, messing with air flow.

Once you DO achieve to bend a note, you'll explore your own method.

I am a pucker player, but some players use both techniques.
Tongue blocking is easy and crucial rhythmically. I might
start a post about this.