Harmonica forum

[HangOnASecond]

Could anyone recommend an online forum for the harmonica please? (Not Reddit, ideally - a forum similar to this one.)

 

[Down Up Dick]

F
Hi, HangOnASecond, folkharmonica is one, but I dunno if it’s any good.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Could anyone recommend an online forum for the harmonica please? (Not Reddit, ideally - a forum similar to this one.)

I don't know about an online forum but would also like to know. Meanwhile I have a harmonica question. Many years ago, I gifted my son a case of harmonicas in various keys. There were 8, and I assume that means one is somehow "all purpose". A few years later, a relative gifted me a much larger Hohner harmonica that has a button-slide on one end which seems to work much like the air vents in a car's dashboard. What's up with that? And, back to the boxed harmonicas, do I need to use the "C" for accompanying my uke, or is it the "A", or do I just choose for the key of the specific tune?

 

[Joe T]

I don't know about an online forum but would also like to know. Meanwhile I have a harmonica question. Many years ago, I gifted my son a case of harmonicas in various keys. There were 8, and I assume that means one is somehow "all purpose". A few years later, a relative gifted me a much larger Hohner harmonica that has a button-slide on one end which seems to work much like the air vents in a car's dashboard. What's up with that? And, back to the boxed harmonicas, do I need to use the "C" for accompanying my uke, or is it the "A", or do I just choose for the key of the specific tune?

Hello Oldscruggsfan. The harmonica with the button on the end is chromatic harmonica. Basically, by pushing in on the lever you can raise the note a half tone thereby allowing you to play sharps and flats in the key of the harp.

You would choose the key of the harmonica by what key the song is that you are playing in on your ukulele. Check the key signature in the song you are playing and then count up 4 steps to choose your harp. For example, if your song was in the key of C you would use a F harmonica, song in key of E would use an A harmonica, music in the key of D would use a G harmonica. Things can change if you are playing the harp in different positions but that is much more involved. Hope this helps.

 

[Joe T]

Could anyone recommend an online forum for the harmonica please? (Not Reddit, ideally - a forum similar to this one.)

For just general learning there is a forum called Harmonica Time. Click HERE. There are also different forums depending on the genre of music, like blues, country etc.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Hello Oldscruggsfan. The harmonica with the button on the end is chromatic harmonica. Basically, by pushing in on the lever you can raise the note a half tone thereby allowing you to play sharps and flats in the key of the harp.

You would choose the key of the harmonica by what key the song is that you are playing in on your ukulele. Check the key signature in the song you are playing and then count up 4 steps to choose your harp. For example, if your song was in the key of C you would use a F harmonica, song in key of E would use an A harmonica, music in the key of D would use a G harmonica. Things can change if you are playing the harp in different positions but that is much more involved. Hope this helps.

Thank you, Joe T, for the French Harp guidance. Obviously, I had no clue.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Thank you, Joe T, for the French Harp guidance. Obviously, I had no clue.

Joe T- one follow up question. Is the Horner chromatic harmonica a certain key like the diatonic in my son’s set or is it “universal”?

 

[Joe T]

Yes, the Hohner Chromatic does come in keys. The most common is the key of C. A talented harp player can make them play in different keys by using the shift button and bending the reeds.

 

[KohanMike]

Hello Oldscruggsfan. The harmonica with the button on the end is chromatic harmonica. Basically, by pushing in on the lever you can raise the note a half tone thereby allowing you to play sharps and flats in the key of the harp.

You would choose the key of the harmonica by what key the song is that you are playing in on your ukulele. Check the key signature in the song you are playing and then count up 4 steps to choose your harp. For example, if your song was in the key of C you would use a F harmonica, song in key of E would use an A harmonica, music in the key of D would use a G harmonica. Things can change if you are playing the harp in different positions but that is much more involved. Hope this helps.

To clarify, if you plan on playing the harmonica without bending for blues, you use the same key as the song. If you plan on bending notes for blues, you choose the harmonica four steps up, called the 5th.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

To clarify, if you plan on playing the harmonica without bending for blues, you use the same key as the song. If you plan on bending notes for blues, you choose the harmonica four steps up, called the 5th.

Lohan Mike- you’ve helped me avoid further confusion. Though I do plan on playing blues tunes, I’m nowhere near the skill level to start “bending” on the Hohner chromatic. One additional question- If I don’t have a piano, and don’t trust my ear, does it make sense to clip my Snark tuner to the wooden non-button end to confirm whether my harp is in the key of A or C?

 

[KohanMike]

Lohan Mike- you’ve helped me avoid further confusion. Though I do plan on playing blues tunes, I’m nowhere near the skill level to start “bending” on the Hohner chromatic. One additional question- If I don’t have a piano, and don’t trust my ear, does it make sense to clip my Snark tuner to the wooden non-button end to confirm whether my harp is in the key of A or C?

Doesn't the harmonica have a stamp or tag on it somewhere with the key? All of mine do, even my chromatic. (Correction, it's KohanMike, and if you add an @KohanMike, the forum also notifies me.)

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Doesn't the harmonica have a stamp or tag on it somewhere with the key? All of mine do, even my chromatic. (Correction, it's KohanMike, and if you add an @KohanMike, the forum also notifies me.)

View attachment 142906

@KohanMike - My apology for mangling your UU handle. I'll take another look after work this evening but I looked closely last night and didn't find a key stamp. It's Hohner Super Chromatic and a cursory online search indicates that the only key options were A or C. It's at least 50 years old, originally owned by my wife's grandfather who worked for NASA at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL and held a HAM radio license. Here's a pic of a harp just like it (and the identical grey-green vinyl case) presently listed on eBay. As you noted, the key stamp of 'C' is clearly visible on the eBay version.

 

[KohanMike]

USER=107714]@KohanMike[/USER] - My apology for mangling your UU handle. I'll take another look after work this evening but I looked closely last night and didn't find a key stamp. It's Hohner Super Chromatic and a cursory online search indicates that the only key options were A or C. It's at least 50 years old, originally owned by my wife's grandfather who worked for NASA at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL and held a HAM radio license. Here's a pic of a harp just like it (and the identical grey-green vinyl case) presently listed on eBay. As you noted, the key stamp of 'C' is clearly visible on the eBay version.

When you pull a photo from eBay, don't use the one that is in the list, actually go to the full add, then click once on the photo to show a larger one, then pull that one. This one I pulled from the eBay add, enhanced it a bit and set it to 700pix 72dpi.

 

[rustydusty]

I belong to the "Dirty-South Blues Harp forum", a pretty active group with lots of information, and of course some know-it-all wannabes that insert their opinions, positive or not into every thread. You just gotta separate the wheat from the chaff...

 

[wqking]

I got a chromatic harmonica and start learning it. I like it very much. It's much more portable than Ukulele and has larger pitch range. I'm still struggling on making clean single notes.
It's a pity that chromatic harmonica is less popular than diatonic harmonica and there are fewer stuff on the internet.