The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > PLAY and Write

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 12-17-2012, 07:20 PM
sully151 sully151 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Santa Margarita California
Posts: 359
Default Guitar/harmonica

My Brother in law got me a harmonica holder and a harmonica for Christmas. This is a great gift and something that I have been wanting, but now that it is in my hands (or mouth, I suppose) I have no idea what to do with it.

Any tips or direction?
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-18-2012, 05:42 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6,450
Default

Is it a diatonic or chromatic harmonica? Diatonic would be normal for folk or blues, but means it's only in one key. That should be stamped on it somewhere.
If it's in C, that means you blow to get C chords (or C major pent notes), and draw to get other notes (for F, G or Dm chords).

That also means you can only play songs in key of C. Although if you want to play blues on it, you'd play in key of G (what's known as "cross-harp" technique); so you'd be drawing on the tonic chord (G), blowing on the IV chord. (Reason for this is that you get the b7 of the key, F in key of G.)

This is why folk and blues harmonica players always have a selection of harps in different keys.

The chromatic harmonica will play in different keys and has a button on one end to give more notes. Stevie Wonder plays this kind, but it's rare in folk or blues.

There are plenty of harmonica sites around if you want more tips.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-18-2012, 07:22 AM
Punchy Punchy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 154
Default

What key is it?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-18-2012, 08:18 AM
sully151 sully151 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Santa Margarita California
Posts: 359
Default

It is a C Diatonic
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-18-2012, 08:23 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6,450
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by sully151 View Post
It is a C Diatonic
Right. So you're limited to playing in key of G for blues, or keys of C or A minor for folk etc.

It would also work for a D dorian modal tune (based on Dm and G chords).

Good harp players can adapt a diatonic to play in a few more keys, using advanced playing techniques. But if you just have it in a harness, blowing and drawing Dylan-style, it's going to be C only (or G blues).
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-18-2012, 09:38 AM
Dark Eyed Junko Dark Eyed Junko is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 406
Default

My only advice would be to use it sparingly. That's the kind of thing that would be a great added element to your set for a song or two, but most likely would get pretty annoying beyond that.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-18-2012, 05:58 PM
brahmz118 brahmz118 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 141
Default

I would recommend gaining some mastery of basic harmonica techniques without the rack, because when you put it in the rack, you'll probably regress a bit.

So that would involve knowing where you can play chords, puckering (or tongue-blocking if you're ambitious) to play clean single notes, and then bending. It would also help to learn a little bit about harmonica positions.

I'd also encourage you to listen to some of the great rack players - John Hammond Jr. and Jimmy Reed for starters. One of my favorites is Paul Geremia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c26OD_6E2NM
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-20-2012, 10:55 PM
Klef Klef is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Southwest Rockies
Posts: 266
Default

Harmonica is awesome! Guitar notes bloom if you spent over ten k on your guitar. Since you did not do that the sound of a string simply decays. But a wind instrument can start small and get louder. Wonderful foil for guitar. But I'm going to agree with the earlier post that harmonica should be learned without the guitar so you really learn the instrument. I can't do it justice on the rack.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-24-2012, 10:09 AM
slewis slewis is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Seattle-ish, WA USA
Posts: 3,331
Default

Don't forget that you can use a capo, too, to adjust a guitar, at least sometimes, to an appropriate key to harmonize with your harmonica.

I too wanted for years to work something up with harmonica and guitar. What finally sparked me recently was John Mayer's song Born and Raised of the same abum. I heard his harmonica on that song and thought, "dang, I can do that!" and I got the correct harmonica for that key and started working on it. I had it down in a few days, playing it in the rack on my way to and from work, and now I play it live in my set. So yeah, it's a fairly simple instrument to get some basic results from, and it's a lot of fun and adds a great complement to guitar as we all know. Stay on it and good luck!
__________________
.[SIZE="2"]
- Sean

Debut album Time Will Tell now available on all the usual platforms
-- visit SeanLewisMusic
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 07-20-2018, 04:05 PM
PHJim PHJim is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Port Hope, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 667
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by brahmz118 View Post
I would recommend gaining some mastery of basic harmonica techniques without the rack, because when you put it in the rack, you'll probably regress a bit.

So that would involve knowing where you can play chords, puckering (or tongue-blocking if you're ambitious) to play clean single notes, and then bending. It would also help to learn a little bit about harmonica positions.

I'd also encourage you to listen to some of the great rack players - John Hammond Jr. and Jimmy Reed for starters. One of my favorites is Paul Geremia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c26OD_6E2NM
One of my favourite rack players was the late Willie P. Bennett. Willie was a great guy and a harmonica wizard. I am fortunate to own a couple of Willie's mouth harps and hope they still have some of his mojo on 'em. I rarely take them out of the house.

Here's the last tune I heard Willie play at Jackie Washington's birthday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F60DwKOZkU

__________________
Jim
_____________________
-1962 Martin D-21
-1950 Gibson LG1
-1958 Goya M-26
-Various banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, ukuleles, Autoharps, mouth harps. . .
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 07-21-2018, 11:02 PM
TBman's Avatar
TBman TBman is online now
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 35,829
Default

Neil Young...

__________________
Barry

Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}:


My SoundCloud page

Some steel strings, some nylon.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 07-22-2018, 12:20 AM
rick-slo's Avatar
rick-slo rick-slo is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 17,170
Default

Forum member tobiasvolkamer posted this on the forum a few years ago. I was so impressed I remembered it reading this thread and just found it again.



also

__________________
Derek Coombs
Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs
Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs

"Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love
To be that we hold so dear
A voice from heavens above
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 07-22-2018, 10:27 AM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: McLeansville, NC
Posts: 7,449
Smile

Hi Sully,

I have been blowin' harp for 25 years. The clips on our duo website is my wife, she is about 3 years in.

I play in Blues style, even with Country and Bluegrass tunes. This is known as Cross harp and as others have said, a C harmonica matches songs in the key of G. Cross harp focuses a lot on draw notes (sucking in) and other techniques such as bends, shakes and over blows.

I don't recommend playing in the rack to start with. Find some songs that have a slow-medium slow tempo that are in the key of G and learn to play along with them. It's the best way to learn fast. I could tell you where to start on the harp and all that stuff, but IMO - the harp is an experiential/feel kind of instrument and it's best to figure all that stuff out on your own.

Once you can play along with a cd/mp3 player - then bust out the rack and start with some easy I-IV-V tunes in G.

Blues is rarely played in G (except for open tuned slide), so once you get your feet wet you will want to get additional harp keys if you want to play the Blues. E and A are probably the most typical keys for Blues guitar and you will need an A harp to play guitar in E and a D harp to play guitar in A.

I specialize in cross harp, but if you like the way someone like Neil Young plays you will want to use straight harp. The harp will need to be the same key as the guitar and it uses a lot more blow notes.

Have fun and I hope this was helpful.
__________________
Roy


Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin
G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2),
Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft

Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 07-22-2018, 10:41 AM
wood nacho wood nacho is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Montréal
Posts: 550
Default

Rack harmonica has become a huge of my sound and in the last few years and I find it fills out the sound of the duo I play in quite nicely. I use it mostly for rhythmic accompaniment with some solos in a few tunes. I have also begun experiment with effects to change up the timbre of the instrument which can get a little fatiguing to the ear if your playing a long show. My advice is spent a lot of time learning to get your bends in tune. Also work on tongue blocking and rhymic 'chugging'. Unfortunatly, I find the harmonica a very easy to instrument to make sound bad. Here is a small taste of how I use rack harmonica
__________________

Fingerstyle Guitar ~ Hammered Dulcimer ~ Clawhammer Banjo ~ Diatonic Harmonica ~ Anglo Concertina


Last edited by wood nacho; 07-22-2018 at 10:48 AM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > PLAY and Write

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:31 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=