Blues Harp help

T. Erdelyi

T. Erdelyi

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
32,359
I've been playin' on and off for 10 years and I still haven't found any decent sites on the internet with riffs and techniques available for free.

Anyone else play, what do you play and what type of music do you play?
 
There are tremendous resources on the net. Start with www.angelfire.com/tx/myquill/ -- that'll keep you busy a good while. Then you can start following the links from there, and don't forget to subscribe to the Harp-L mailing list, and browse around the archives.

Muddy Waters & Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) - Got My Mojo Working
[video=youtube;hjPezeHN9Hc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjPezeHN9Hc[/video]

Sonny Boy Williamson II -Your Funeral and My Trial
[video=youtube;DFRMBWgyH-M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFRMBWgyH-M[/video]
 
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Thanks, those site and the subsequent links will keep me busy and hopefully add to my har skill set.
 
IIRC I got my first harmonica in 1964 and started playing it right away, I played a double reed Hohner echo for a while before changing to the 10 hole diatonic which I play almost every day just for fun, never had music lessons but I really enjoy it.

I play mostly folk, Latin American and Irish tunes, I retune the first two draw reeds of richter tuned harmonicas to get a more complete major scale for melodies though I loose some chords.

I used to have a Hering blues from Brazil which was great, but one reed went bad after a while and I have not found a replacement, currently playing mostly a Hohner Special 20 MS and hoping to find a Marine Band deluxe.

I can't help much with links since Cougar already gave you the Diatonic Harmonica Reference which I think is great, I've seen some books throughout the years but haven't used them much, I mostly just keep harpin' and having fun ...

Luis
 
Also http://coast2coastmusic.com/ -- it's a store; they sell harmonicas & other instruments, but they also have some great learning resources for free.

Hering availability is a little unpredictable in the US and I suppose Mexico is probably the same. Hering is based in Brazil and their main markets are in South America. They seem to regard the US as a place to get rid of surplus inventory -- when they have a surplus.

I play chromatic myself. I've fooled around a little with diatonics, but ... it's a whole different instrument. The equivalent of myquill for chromatic is http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/
 
Have you read the stuff about repair & adjustment? The reed that went bad probably only needs to be regapped.
 
There's apparently a lot more to learn, I seem to have a natural ability to bend notes on te blow and draw, probably a through back to 15 years of trumpet playin'.

I've noticed that the sound quality is proportional to price but on te other hand I can have just as much fun with a cheap harmonca as a better quality.

The fist decent harp I've bought was a Hohner MS series Blues Harmonica, I've also got a Hohner Weekender that has the richest chord sounds and a wild natural tremelo effect.

Still the one that always winds up in my pocket is the little Hohner Puck it's about 3" but it's a 10 hole diatonic that's just fun to play.

All my harps are in the key of c I haven't perfected that key yet but I get a lot of enjoyment out of playin' anyway.

I practice on average an hour a day but since I always have a harp nearby,(just like a knife or a flashlight) some days I'll play on and off all day long.

Thanks again for the links and 1 last question, in te $25-$75 range what would be a good pick for a blues harp?

Thanks again.
 
The very cheapest harps, less than $5 each, tend to have dubious quality control and don't come in all keys. Once you get above that price level it's just a matter of preference. A lot of the pros like the Hohner Big River harp at about $10.... More expensive is not necessarily better.
 
...The reed that went bad...
Click to expand...
He he, I have often fooled around with reeds, in this case it went flat and weak, I was able to bring it up to tone but could not get it to sound right, it was dull and weak. I have occasionally seen new plates for Hohner MS and Lee Oscars, but for the price I might as well get a new instrument.

Since I mostly play alone I use a harmonica in which I like the tone in all the reeds and usually play a B flat, I like C for tunes where I don't go too high and G for tunes where I don't go too low, there are of course tunes that use the full length, like "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" which I got in this record.

Luis

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About choice of instruments, I have used many. German made Hohner and Lee Oscar as well as the top of the line Herings have been consistently good in my experience.

I often play a good old 1896 Marine Band but I wish it had screws instead of nails and the comb was less prone to swelling, that's why I'm looking for the new Deluxe model. I have a Big River Harp, yes it's fine.

I recently got a nice Hohner paper catalog from my favorite local music shop, there's a couple of interesting items like the Deluxe Marine Band and the XB-40 Bending Harp which has "a unique combination of valve chambers and auxiliary reeds" and is supposed to allow bending of all 20 regular notes.
 
I've been playing quite seriously (no "pro" per se, but I've worked in a handful of bands that got paid for gigs) for a little over 10 years, and noodled around with the harp for about 10 before that. The biggest advice I can give you is to get lessons from a top-notch player in your area. Barring that, I can recommend the Jerry Portnoy instructional CDs. Not cheap, but quite worth the money. And when you get all you can get out of the CDs, you can probably recoup half your investment by selling them off on Ebay.

You should also follow Harp-L list at yahoo groups. It's pretty much THE harp list on the net. Lots of great info there, though some of it will be over a newbie player's head.

By the way, Adam Gussow (of the GREAT duo Satan & Adam) is posting a TON of free harp lessons on youtube.com. Just do a search there for: (Gussow. and you'll find them. Or, here is the first one.

Lastly, listen a lot of great blues harp players. Little Walter, Junior Wells, Big Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson (1 AND 2), Howlin' Wolf, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, William Clarke, Carey Bell and on and on.
 
Harmonicas? I though you guys where talking about the metal twangy reed thing you put against you lips and strum.
 
Harmonicas? I though you guys where talking about the metal twangy reed thing you put against you lips and strum.
Click to expand...

That's a jaw harp. I have one and they rule (for about 10 minutes).
 
Just found out this thread :)
I got a few days ago a diatonic (Suzuki Promaster) and I finnaly got to decent single notes, not for a long time though as my lips seem to tire after a while.
I have a question for more experienced players. The only way I seem to get single notes is like this: I keep the harmonica at an angle (raise the back) and at some point the inside of the lower lip seems to block the extra holes just fine. That's cool, but has the following unwanted side effect: the upper lip covers the harmonica quite a lot, the harmonica is at an angle and I no longer get a good "airtight" grip.
I did some reserch on the net but all the videos explaining how to hold properly are made by guys that use either "regular" pucker or tongue block so their harmonica is not at an angle.
Any tips would help ;)
 
flava said:
I finnaly got to decent single notes ... I have a question for more experienced players. The only way I seem to get single notes is like this: I keep the harmonica at an angle (raise the back) and at some point the inside of the lower lip seems to block the extra holes just fine. That's cool, but has the following unwanted side effect: the upper lip covers the harmonica quite a lot, the harmonica is at an angle and I no longer get a good "airtight" grip.
I did some reserch on the net but all the videos explaining how to hold properly are made by guys that use either "regular" pucker or tongue block so their harmonica is not at an angle.
Any tips would help ;)
Click to expand...

Tip: Learn to pucker or tongue block. Actually, learn to pucker AND tongue block. I don't mean to be flip, but there are no shortcuts or easy answers - just keep on keepin' on.
 
The word pucker is a misnomer -- the only people who actually pucker up their lips are beginners who are confused by what they're reading. You're on the right track, Flava, and with a little practice and experimenting you'll find you can play single notes without fatigue. Tilting the harmonica is a normal thing to do; a lot of players do that.

Follow the links I posted earlier in this thread but don't stop playing to read -- keep right on blowing.... :cool:
 
Almost a year later with lotsa practice behind me and a few compliments on my playin' and this thread pops up.

I've found harp playin's like knife sharpenin', it takes practice and a little musical ability, (not much, just a little).

Play brother play yer heart out, eventually you'll start to hear the difference.:D
 
There hundred if not thousands of tabs here http://www.harptabs.com/

I lkie Lee Oscars. For playing tunes, which is what I do B flat is my favorite

12-28-07034.jpg
 
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