harmonica players??

[thomas mccoy]

lookin for all those harmonica players out there??
what kind of harp you got??
make any money busking alone??
tips and tricks??
why do you love the harmonica??

i just recently found one in a dlea market and bought it on a whim and i love this little thing..
i wanna buy a little bit better one but i dont know what to get.. i was thinking the special twenty hohner.. or a marine band.. but there are so many diff marine band choices..
oppinons??

 

[Falken]

I have a Hohner special twenty with a plastic comb. I've found the plastic combs are better because they don't get as dirty and don't absorb moisture. The best advice I can give you is to do A LOT of research on what key you should get yours in before you buy. I like learning instruments in the key of C because there are no sharps or flats and I like the key. But after I bought my C I realized that it doesn't go quite as high as I would have liked. And some are better for chords, some are better for melodies and folk songs, some better for soloing, etc.

Just be careful because there's a shitload of false information out there. Like people saying a certain key is good for "blues", which is extremely vague or sometimes not even the case. I've never busked but it's on my bucket list and I plan to try it once I get good enough -- and now I practice pretty much daily.

Master players have a harp for every key. One guy I heard about had a strap across his chest with like 8 harmonicas in it that he just pulled out when needed. If you want to play well with others, you need a harmonica suited to or flexible with the key they're playing.

 

[thomas mccoy]

i like to play alone alot.. i was thinking of a harp in G.. looking and hoping for more meat to the sound.. melody harmonicas were something i was looking into as well.. i dont want a super special one though.. i was thinking of spending around 35-45 dollars on my next one.. im pretty sure i could a type of marine bane in g for that price

 

[Falken]

I like blues and I think C is my favorite for it. Its 2nd position is G, and the relative minors are A minor and E minor, pretty common in blues. And most free lessons online are based in C. So it made it easier for me. But you should be fine no matter which one you get.

 

[garytheoldguy]

I usually try to have a G,C, and an A. I never really busk by myself so it's good to have a variety of keys and those are the most common in my experience. And my favorites have been Marine bands, but most Hohners are very decent. Really the only advice on playing I can give is just practice and experiment. You'll find your sound eventually.

 

[sucuri]

I've had a Kawasaki D flat for years. I love it but it's hard for accompaning. I had a E for awhile, really high and great for soloing. BTW the Japanese harps are practically indestructrable, takes years for you to knock it out of key even when playing a lot

 

[ThatKid]

I've had several harps over the years, but my favorite that I own is my Suzuki FolkMaster in C.