Bought a harmonica

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ColdHouse
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Post by ColdHouse »

I am going to learn to play harmonica.

Does anyone play one?

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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred »

I do. Buy a beginners book. That's how I learned.

xackley1
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Post by xackley1 »

straight play guitar in c, play C harmonica. Red River Valley is an easy one. purse lips and curl tongue to get single notes.
blues play guitar in G, play C harmonica and have fun bending.

Don

Edit: there are sites that play songs using midi that allow you to transcribe to the key that matches your harmonica.

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Retro_Origin
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Post by Retro_Origin »

xackley1 wrote: Tue. May. 14, 2024 7:43 pm straight play guitar in c, play C harmonica. Red River Valley is an easy one. purse lips and curl tongue to get single notes.

blues play guitar in G, play C harmonica and have fun bending.
Good advice, though I got a F or G harmonica and it was rather high pitched that just about anyone was annoyed during practicing, hope you got a C. Remember harmonicas are meant to be played a certain way and a certain genre type, you might frustrate yourself if you try to do what is unconventional - have fun, sure is cool when you figure out note bending and overbends!


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Post by hank2 »

This thread brings back a whole lot of memories! I played blues harp for a good many years. 1969 to mid '80's. Not at all since then for probably 40 years. I occasionally sat in with friend's and other's bands at bars, clubs, halls for a few songs. Played a lot shipboard in the Navy at times. Not sure how great I was, but I had the bending going to town. Lip and tongue block. Used Hohner "blues harp" models mostly. It made for a short life on the reeds, but I almost always soaked them first before a serious play. Some people didn't like me using their pitcher of beer or Bourbon and water for that. :-o I vaguely remember something I think was called cross harp. Guitars in one key determined what key in sharp harp you used. Not sure anymore, but I think I used F sharp(?) a lot.

Can't type it here but John Lee Hooker had a famous quote about "Blind Owl" Alan Wilson, Canned Heat's original harp player. He did recording sessions with CH for the "Hooker N Heat" album. Wilson died in 1970, very close to the same time as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

" If he eat ____ like he play harp, he a ____ _____."

ColdHouse
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Post by ColdHouse »

I purchased a Lee Oskar Harmonica, Key of C, Major Diatonic. It is supposed to arrive later today.
I am thinking of maybe buying another one and sending it to my recently paralyzed son-in-law.
I am probably going to try to emulate these couple of video's at the onset and see how that goes.




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Retro_Origin
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Post by Retro_Origin »

Lee Oskar was what I had/have, I thought it was a really good sound and very nice quality

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