Harmonicas

[Subtone Sam]

Does anyone here play harmonicas,diatonic or chromatic? I play some blues harp,the basics are quite easy to master.On the other hand,the chromatic harmonica is difficult instrument to play,especially fast.I enjoy the sound Tooths Thielemans or Hendrik Meurkens make,both great players but after realizing how much work it takes to master the chromatic I kind of gave it up,for now anyway.Anyone else?

[MojoBari]

I play a Horner Chromatic, but it mostly gathers dust these days. 20 years ago I played it in the pit for a local production of "Shanendoah". It a musical set during the US civil war times. It had a few accidentals in some of the lines, but the Hee Haw dances were in C and were mostly ad lib. It was a lot of fun.

[Captain Beeflat]

Subtone Sam.
Harp is really my first instrument & I would strongly advise you to stick with the little ten hole harps until you really master them. As you are no doubt aware, this is used almost exclusively in Blues, & there are some amazing players out there.
Unless you really want to play Toots then stay away from the chromatic: it is extremely difficult, it always sounds naff, difficult to bend & really expensive.

[Face Ache Mike]

I bought a Hohner Special 20 about 2 weeks ago so I could play tunes when not able to play my sax. The idea was to help me learn tunes but Im not sure it was such a good idea now!

[DirkW]

I've been playing a Lee Oscar diatonic off and on for about a year. The problem is that I don't practice my sax as much as I'd like, so learning the harp is taking a back seat. It would be a great second instrument for the blues. Plus, it's hard to find a bluegrass band that wants a sax. :(

[RS]

I used to play some blues harp. But I gave it up when I started getting serious on the sax. But harp is a fun little instrument and the ultimate in portability. Check out some of the great blues harp players like Little Walter, Sonnyboy Williamson, Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite, and James Cotton.

[cleger]

I fooled around on blues harp for years. Haven't touched it since I started playing tenor (five months ago) though. I will probably go back to it once I feel comfortable on tenor. As mentioned above, it would be a great doubling instrument for blues playing.

I never tried chromatic, I was curious but not enough to take the plunge.

[DirkW]

The J Giles Band had a good harmonica player. What was is name? Magic something-or-other?

[RS]

Magic Dick (I think).

[Captain Beeflat]

Yes, he is indeed "Magic Dick." You have mentioned several players, but there are literally thousands out there who are truly awesome. In some ways it is easier to play sax. than bluesharp because the fingering is available for any note. With the blues harp, some of the notes have to be really bent - like 1 1/2 semitones- because they are not present on the diatonic. Great little instrument though. More mood per pound than anything else.

[frankbiff]

I tried blues harp awhile back, didn't make much progress but had a friend who became quite good. He used to carry it almost everywhere, lots of parctice sitting in the car waiting for trafic and red lights.

It seemed at the time the book to get was "Blues Harp" by Tony Glover, he explans the basics and the theory and practice of cross harp and what he calls 3rd and 4th postitions.

[cleger]

I was reading the latest downbeat over the weekend and saw that Gregoire Maret (I think that's his name), the harp player who has been playing in the Pat Metheny Group, was awarded one of the critics awards. I thought it was funny that when he talked about experimenting with electronic effects that he wanted to "master" the instrument before trying effects :shock: .

[TommyD69]

The blues harp is also call the "mississippi saxophone". Back in the day (and today too), it was WAY cheaper to buy a couple harps than it was to get a sax. I've been play the sax (off and on) for 40 years, I learned to play blues harp driving back and forth to work every day (about an hour drive each way). Doing the boring practice stuff you HAVE to do in order to be able to play anything decent. The nice part about diatonic harps, is that they come in keys, so you have to learn a lick once, and then you can play it in any key (that you have a harp for). The bad part is that it is addictive, and takes away from your sax practice time. But, THINKING music amd practicing music helps either instrument in the long run. I also love to take my harps with me when I go out to watch live bands. Some times when I show them my harp, they let me sit in, sight unseen/unheard. It is truely a blast, and it makes you more valuble for the band you are in, or want to get in. It's ALL good..... Harp On!!!!!!!!! 8-)

[potiphar]

I have 2 vintage Marine Bands (marketed as "Echo Super Vamper" in UK) and 1vintage Blues Harp from the early 70s. Of course, anything after 1973 is of inferior quality because they stopped making them from artillery shells and the decking of the Lusitania.

It's an interesting observation that Blues Harpists are good because they suck.

[oldbluesman]

I've been playing blues and jazz harp for 50 years and the sax for 20. I play both diatonic and chromatic. I bought these two books (Universal Sax methods and H. Klose' 25 daily exercises for sax) and use both for my chro and sax for an hour everyday on sax and onehalf hour on harp.

[DukeCity]

Check out Howard Levy He played with Bela Fleck for a while, and also did some work with Paquito D'Rivera. He plays fully chromatic jazz improvisations on a diatonic harp!!! He got so good at bending pitches while tongueing the notes, that it sounds like a chromatic harp. Incredible!

[lhoffman]

He's doing more than just bending notes. He developed a new technique which got dubbed "overblowing" (funny enough, by a sax player friend of his that thought what Howard was doing was along the lines of our harmonic overblowing, though that's inaccurate). Many players since have adopted and mastered the technique, and are taking a completely chromatic approach to the diatonic harp.
I've been shedding my harp playing over the past year, and I'm getting to the point now where I'll play it on a gig. If you're at all interested in blues harp, do yourself the favor of looking up Adam Gussow on youtube.

[TommyD69]

I have 2 vintage Marine Bands (marketed as "Echo Super Vamper" in UK) and 1vintage Blues Harp from the early 70s. Of course, anything after 1973 is of inferior quality because they stopped making them from artillery shells and the decking of the Lusitania.

It's an interesting observation that Blues Harpists are good because they suck.


I think the "Echo Super Vamper" is the harp John Lennon used in "Love Me Do"... and you may be right about 1973....

And it's DRAW.. NOT suck!!!!!! :D

[RootyTootoot]

A wonderful instrument, especially for the blues. The thread got me searching for Sonny Boy Williamson II on youtube. There's a brilliant performance of "Bye, Bye Bird", for example.

[DukeCity]

He's doing more than just bending notes. He developed a new technique which got dubbed "overblowing" (funny enough, by a sax player friend of his that thought what Howard was doing was along the lines of our harmonic overblowing, though that's inaccurate). Many players since have adopted and mastered the technique, and are taking a completely chromatic approach to the diatonic harp.

Can you explain a little bit of what "overblowing" is on the harmonica? Inquiring minds want to know!

[rabbit]

Overblowing, what I could find:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overblowing

and:
http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/suzukiharmonica/Detail?no=8

[Dave Wright]

Overblowing allows you every chromatic note and requires you to alter the air flow and throat/ mouth positions to manipulate the reed, much like altissimo does. I used to own an album by Jean Jaque Milteau where he improvised over the 12 keys on one blues harp in the same tune. He da man for this.

FWIW I once came 3rd in the British harmonica championships, 2nd in the duo :) , but nobody likes a showoff.

IMO It is a comparatively easy instrument. The chromatic however is a completely different kettle of fish!

[rabbit]

davesaxa1,

When you earn it it ain't showing off!

Do you (or anyone) have an opinion on
the usefulness of this:

http://www.harpmaster.com/lessons.htm

Thanks

[rleitch]

The J Giles Band had a good harmonica player. What was is name? Magic something-or-other?


Magic Dick (Rick Salwitz) is a monster blues harmonical player: if there's anybody around today who can touch him I'd sure like to know about him or her. The J. Geils Band was a great gig for Magic, but it has dogged him and undermined his (and even J.Geils') credibility as a true blues master. He is absolutely unbelievable doing his own thing, which is covering the whole classic jazz and blues songbook on harp. He also sings (not super well), plays a pretty mean trumpet, and has created his own line of harps. I saw him and Geils do their Bluestime thing it was totally awesome....magic!

http://www.bluesreviews.com/Features/magicfeat.html

[Dave Wright]

davesaxa1,

When you earn it it ain't showing off!

Do you (or anyone) have an opinion on
the usefulness of this:

http://www.harpmaster.com/lessons.htm

Thanks


Rabbit,

Jerry Portnoy I believe played with Muddy Waters as a youngster, imagine that on your CV! I'm sure you'd learn a lot from that particular book if you studied it.

There are a lot of similar books on the market, ( I have one next to me by a certain dave wright ;) ) Like anyhting, a real teacher, listening and imitation is the best way if you're thinking of learning.