Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [harmonica]

Questions related to playing the (chromatic or diatonic) harmonica.

Questions related to playing the (chromatic or diatonic) harmonica.

105 questions
15
votes
3 answers

Why are notes on the harmonica laid out the way they are?

This is a chart of a standard ten hole diatonic harmonica in the key of G that I copied from Wikipedia: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 blow: |G|B|D |G|B|D|G |B|D|G | draw: |A|D|F#|A|C|E|F#|A|C|E | As you can see, blowing in the…
user6591
  • 647
  • 6
  • 9
10
votes
2 answers

Why call a harmonica a harp?

A harmonica is a wind/reed instrument, while a harp is a string instrument. Not much in common really. So why did the humble harmonica (mouth organ) get dubbed 'harp'? And, is it only Blues harps which get this monicker, or all, chromatics included?…
Tim
  • 192,860
  • 17
  • 187
  • 471
8
votes
2 answers

As a beginner, what should I look for in a chromatic harmonica?

I want to buy a chromatic harmonica and I've never had one before nor played one. As a beginner, what should I look for in a chromatic harmonica? Are there certain features I should look for or avoid?
Dom
  • 47,641
  • 23
  • 155
  • 287
5
votes
2 answers

Diatonic Minor Harmonicas?

Played the other night with a harp player who mentioned harps that he had in minor keys. Sadly, never had chance to hear them used. Since there are different notes involved in minor keys, which would be used? Or is there a choice between melodic and…
Tim
  • 192,860
  • 17
  • 187
  • 471
5
votes
1 answer

Choosing the right harmonica and key

My husband is a seasoned singer songwriter and I want to buy him a harmonica for Christmas. He tunes a half step down (keeps one guitar in regular setup and another guitar in open G, though still tuned half step down). What key harmonica should I…
tbfedd
  • 51
  • 1
4
votes
3 answers

Why does classical music sound out of tune on a Hohner Marine Band Deluxe Harmonica?

A few months ago I tried my hand at my fathers old diatonic harmonica. Since I can sight read well and have good breathing technique as a vocalist, I found that I could make some of my favorite classical music sound very good. Seeing my interest,…
er0
  • 149
  • 2
4
votes
2 answers

What is the difference between 10, 16 and 24 holes harmonica?

I just bought a harmonica, it has 24 holes. When i tried to learn it, i know that there are 10, 16 and 24 holes harmonica. There are two questions that i want to ask what is the difference between them?. is number 4 hole in 10 holes harmonica and…
stormrage
  • 179
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
4
votes
2 answers

Can flat notes be played on a chromatic harmonica?

Can we play flat notes on a chromatic harmonica? I already know that a chromatic harmonica could play regular (natural) notes and sharp notes, but what about flat notes?
Victor
  • 165
  • 7
3
votes
1 answer

Learning eastern european music style on harmonica?

I am a beginner harmonica player. I bought recently a C harmonica and subscribed to two online learning courses. After a few weeks, I noticed I would prefer to learn some Eastern European/gypsy melodies instead of those blues/campfire songs which…
skymedium
  • 171
  • 3
3
votes
1 answer

Harmonica 1St position

Beginning harp player ... I just bought my first new harmonica it came today and it is labeled in the first position key I understand now that labeled in the second key is better? Can someone please clear up the difference between these 1st position…
Tyler Black
  • 31
  • 2
3
votes
5 answers

How to learn & play sheet music with diatonic harmonica

I think 'just learn to read notes and which holes do what' isn't probably the best way - since there are harmonicas tuned to twelve different keys and all differ in note placements. So I did some research, haven't found anything conclusive, but…
Barnaba
  • 131
  • 1
  • 3
3
votes
4 answers

Can tremolo harmonica use diatonic harmonica tab?

I just bought a harmonica. It turn out to be tremolo. It has 24 holes on both sides. I want to know: Can I play diatonic harmonica tab using tremolo harmonica? If I can, do I need to convert diatonic tab into tremolo tab? Please help!
stormrage
  • 179
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
3
votes
1 answer

About Beginner Harmonica

Which harmonica is best for beginners if I want to play Bollywood songs because I heard that 10 hole C-type harmonica can't play all songs?
Sanyuvjk
  • 31
  • 1
3
votes
3 answers

Can anyone help me with the notes-to-holes matrix for my harmonica?

I have a Hohner Comet 80 C/F mouth harmonica. I did not practice much, although I have it for several years. One (OC ?!) reason for this is that I do not know the notes of each hole. And my mind is very engineering-ish, even when it comes to…
virolino
  • 333
  • 1
  • 10
3
votes
1 answer

Does tilting the angle of the harmonica affect when overblowing?

I just read a question about overblow on harmonica. One answer gave me the impression that the direction of the air stream should be directed at the bottom reed instead of the top reed. If that is the case, will adjusting the tilt of the harmonica…
skinny peacock
  • 7,760
  • 2
  • 21
  • 44
1
2 3