Texsox Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I'm thinking of taking up the harmonica. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I'm thinking of taking up the harmonica. I'm competent enought to do Beatles and Neil and Dylan lines straight-harping, and I can cross- harp passable blues for about 24 bars before I slobber the thing up too much. If you are interested in blues harmonica style, you'll save yourself a lot of headaches if you get the cross-harp keys idea in your head straightaway. basically, you play a non-chromatic harp tuned one third higher than the key of the song you are playing. A 'D' harp for blues in 'A', and 'A' harp for blues in 'E', etc. And the blues scale is more or less playing the harmonica the 'wrong way' - blow where a straight-harper would suck and vice versa. Like all the roots blues, the style evolved from southern black musicians that had carried ancestral rhythms and songs with them from Africa but had no formal training with western instruments. The open 'E' tuning of classic delta blues guitar, the cross-harping, the Ahhh-ooo-hooo lines punctuating blues singing (descended from a Zulu war chant - strange but true) – all of that went into the founding of the blues. There's my 50 cent harp lesson. I'll bill you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I'm competent enought to do Beatles and Neil and Dylan lines straight-harping, and I can cross- harp passable blues for about 24 bars before I slobber the thing up too much. If you are interested in blues harmonica style, you'll save yourself a lot of headaches if you get the cross-harp keys idea in your head straightaway. basically, you play a non-chromatic harp tuned one third higher than the key of the song you are playing. A 'D' harp for blues in 'A', and 'A' harp for blues in 'E', etc. And the blues scale is more or less playing the harmonica the 'wrong way' - blow where a straight-harper would suck and vice versa. Like all the roots blues, the style evolved from southern black musicians that had carried ancestral rhythms and songs with them from Africa but had no formal training with western instruments. The open 'E' tuning of classic delta blues guitar, the cross-harping, the Ahhh-ooo-hooo lines punctuating blues singing (descended from a Zulu war chant - strange but true) – all of that went into the founding of the blues. There's my 50 cent harp lesson. I'll bill you. My head's spinning. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most difficult, how hard is it to teach yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 I was doing a little research and it seems like a lot of people recommend a diatonic in a key of c for beginers. I was going to pick up the Lee Oskar model. I am leaning towards some blues to be cool and some folk song type stuff for around the campfire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 some folk song type stuff for around the campfire. That's why I'd like to learn. My buddy usually brings he guitar over and it'd be fun to acompany him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 That's why I'd like to learn. My buddy usually brings he guitar over and it'd be fun to acompany him. I was surprised that each harp is tuned to a key and connot be altered. An accomplished player may have 10 or 15 harps for a single performcance. I wonder how hard Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) is to play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 My head's spinning. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most difficult, how hard is it to teach yourself? It's probably easier to teach yourself harmonica than just about any other instrument, at least rudimentary stuff. The fact that, other than the chromatic harps ($$ and a b**** to play), the fact that they are tuned to a particular key like Tex said is a real advantage. It's the equivalent of having only white keys on a piano – you can't technically hit a wrong note is a song is in 'C' if you only use the white keys, etc. Tex, the Lee Oskars are sturdy and should last a while, but for the money I would stick with the Hohners, either Blues harp or Marine Band models. Blues harps come in all 12 major keys, and Marine Band models do as well, but also in high octaves and in natural and harmonic minor keys (beginners should stay away from them). A 'C' harp is a fine beginner's choice, and is literally the harmonical version of the all-white key piano analogy above. You would blow folk tunes in C and crossharp blues in G. C harps may not be the most broadly useable choice though. I'd say half of all folk and acoustic tunes are in G, and that is the natural singing key of most males. A G harp will allow you to straight-harp lots of folkey campfire stuff, including the dreaded Kumbaya, acoustic eagles, and half the Dylan repertoire. You'd cross-harp blues in D which is not as universal a blues key as A or E, but make sure your guitar player is packing a capo and you're in business. A downside of going ith G and not C would be trying to follow a book written for a C harp. But if you advance to the point that you'll be playing with others you'll be getting a couple other keys soon enough anyway. You can get one of them canvas ammo belts like John Popper to put them all in when you're jamming up on stage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Gleason Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 I fiddle with the harp a bit. I used to play it in one of my old bands, but then decided it was tying me to the mic too much, and if I wasn't singing, I wanted to be running with my guitar instead of standing at the stand playing that thing. It's kind of like the bass as far as how hard it is to play. It isn't hard to play it, but it is REAL hard to be good at it. I can do the bass work for any recordings I do, but I usually prefer to get a real bassist, as a great bassist can really help bring a song to life. I can play harmonica, but I would prefer to get somebody who is good at the thing, to make it's parts REALLY shine. If you just want to sit around a campfire, or in your house, buy it and noodle. In no time you'll be sounding pretty cool. Keep at it, and you can find a gig somewhere. But a harmonica is also a nice instrument as not many people will hear it and cringe by what you are doing. Bad violin, flute, guitar, piano, whatever, hurts to hear. Bad harmonica? I still have yet to ever really hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 I fiddle with the harp a bit. I used to play it in one of my old bands, but then decided it was tying me to the mic too much, and if I wasn't singing, I wanted to be running with my guitar instead of standing at the stand playing that thing. It's kind of like the bass as far as how hard it is to play. It isn't hard to play it, but it is REAL hard to be good at it. I can do the bass work for any recordings I do, but I usually prefer to get a real bassist, as a great bassist can really help bring a song to life. I can play harmonica, but I would prefer to get somebody who is good at the thing, to make it's parts REALLY shine. If you just want to sit around a campfire, or in your house, buy it and noodle. In no time you'll be sounding pretty cool. Keep at it, and you can find a gig somewhere. But a harmonica is also a nice instrument as not many people will hear it and cringe by what you are doing. Bad violin, flute, guitar, piano, whatever, hurts to hear. Bad harmonica? I still have yet to ever really hear it. Intyeresting, and thanks. My son plays bass guitar and violin and my daughter plays bass violin and sings. I feel so left out. He learned a couple Pink Floyd tunes for the bass, really cool to hear him practicing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldmember Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 anybody watch oliver beane this past week? he swallows his harmonica and as he breathes in the doc's office you can hear the harmonica play...funny stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 anybody watch oliver beane this past week? he swallows his harmonica and as he breathes in the doc's office you can hear the harmonica play...funny stuff... Underrated show. Has its moments, and I would be curious to see it step out of the Malcom in the Middle shadow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldmember Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Underrated show. Has its moments, and I would be curious to see it step out of the Malcom in the Middle shadow. it is very much underrated. i like it better than malcom... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Be Good Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 I just played a toy Harmonica today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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