Rift
107 posts
Dec 09, 2011
5:03 AM
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I noticed they sell some harps in 6 or 7 piece sets.
Most are:
C,G,A,D,F,Bb
C,D,A,G,E,F,Bb
Wouldn't Eb be a better choice in a 6 piece set instead of G and wouldn't it be a better choice than E in a 7 piece set??
Just wondering
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2011 7:00 AM
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crispyagain
11 posts
Dec 09, 2011
5:11 AM
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I love my MB Eb harp. For a seven harp set I would rather have the Eb. The six harp set ???...Everyone needs a G harp but I feel a High G is more useful.
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Michael Rubin
365 posts
Dec 09, 2011
5:29 AM
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I agree that Eb is more useful than E. But G is more useful than Eb.
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hvyj
1998 posts
Dec 09, 2011
5:31 AM
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Eb is unquestionably more useful than E in a 7 piece set.
In the 6 piece set, the choice between G and Eb sorta depends on who you are playing with. The key of D is an open fingering on guitar. The key of Bb is a favored blues key for keyboards and horns.
Eb is an EXTREMELY useful harp. Gives you Bb in Second position, G minor in Fifth position, C minor in Fourth position, F & F Dorian minor in Third position. I can't function w/o an Eb harp in my set.
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rbeetsme
504 posts
Dec 09, 2011
6:36 AM
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I think A, Bb, C, D, F and G are what most people buy. I have 3 harmonica brands I play, all have a more or less complete set. My Marine Band sets are in those clever Hohner 7 key cases: A,Bb, C, D, F, Low F, and G. My other 7 key set is Natural minor A, C, D, G and an Ab, E, and B. That covers most tunes I'm likely to play. Easy to carry too.
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Rift
108 posts
Dec 09, 2011
7:03 AM
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I don't play in D a lot so my G doesn't get much use.
But for the life of me I can't figure out why they include an E in a set instead of a Eb. I was wondering if there was a practical reason why they do this. I play in Bb a lot and it seems Eb is used much more often than an E. I am sure Hohner and Suzuki are awar of this.
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barbequebob
1783 posts
Dec 09, 2011
7:08 AM
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The keys in those sets are basically for when you're accompanying either a guitarist or piano player. Eb, especially L-Eb is excellent when you're working with horns.
Piano players aren't fond of playing in B (which is where an E in 2nd position is being used), but it is more often played by a guitarist than a pianist.
G, based on playing in 2nd, used in D, is a common key for many different genres.
Also, the other keys you don't see in these sets are keys that tend to favor horns.
It comes down to what you're going to be playing with and so those are more basic keys, but in the end one size does NOT fit all.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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HawkeyeKane
541 posts
Dec 09, 2011
7:44 AM
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They have 4 and 5 harp sets too. The keys they select for these are pretty much your most used keys in a rock band.
Hohner Case of Marine Bands Harmonica 5-Pack
Hohner CASE OF BLUES Harmonica 5-Pack Side note: When did Hohner bring THESE back?!
Hohner Blues Rocker Harmonica 4-Pack
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2011 10:27 AM
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groyster1
1620 posts
Dec 09, 2011
10:32 AM
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my take is there are 12 keys of harp the infrequent ones to use are Ab B Db E and F# Eb is very useful especially Fminor in 3rd position best to have all 12 keys
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dougharps
131 posts
Dec 09, 2011
11:02 AM
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Sitting in with Kilborn Alley at a CD release party last week Andrew called two soul songs in B in a row, and I definitely needed the E harp.
In other circumstances I have found that I use the Eb a lot.
I tend to think of 8 harps (Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, and E being a standard set, with the four others (B, F#, Db, and Ab) being the least used. But I have often used them when a band is tuned down a half step. I also like high G and low F as alternatives for different songs.
It is good to have them all if you intend to play with a variety of musicians with different types of music.
That being said, you don't have to buy them all at once from the start. Just buy what you need now, and expand slowly, unless you have a lot of spare money, or will be getting a great deal on a full set.
E vs. Eb just depends on what you will play and with the keys chosen by the band/singer. If you can afford it, get both.
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Doug S.
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earlounge
381 posts
Dec 09, 2011
11:07 AM
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I would guess the reason is because a lot of harp sets are purchased by singer song writer types. Any guitar player that knows zero about harmonica will probably think "E" will be just as important as a "C" or "G".
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Epworthslim
31 posts
Dec 09, 2011
11:24 AM
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dont worry a bout it just tune it down to Eb
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Slim's-Custom-Harmonica-Cases-Website
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hvyj
2002 posts
Dec 09, 2011
1:12 PM
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If you are playing rock or folk, B does get called enough to make it worth carrying an E harp. Actually, I use my Ab quite a bit since I use it for C minor in 5th position and that's a relatively popular key.
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garry
152 posts
Dec 09, 2011
3:29 PM
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i use an E harp in cross all the time, with my own band and others i sit in with. my Eb mostly collects dust in my case. gotta have it, but rarely use it. i suspect the E is more useful when playing rock, vs. the Eb for blues.
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REM
119 posts
Dec 09, 2011
3:58 PM
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There are a lot of people who only play harp in 1st position (folk tunes, Dylan style, etc.). Most people don't know you can even play diatonic harmonicas in more than 1 key. So a lot of people assume that if they want to play a song in E, they need to buy an E hamonica.
Hohners main consumers aren't "serious" harmonica players.
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Rift
109 posts
Dec 09, 2011
4:31 PM
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@rem - Suzuki sells these sets as well. I would imagine most of there customers are serious players as they are not carried in as many retail stores as hohner.
I am not in the market for a set. I was just looking around and noticed the pre-made sets.
I have most keys and they were bought seperatly over the years. It would be nice if you could substitute or chose keys you wanted. It seems as though you save money buying in sets (no idividual cases and volume discount) but it's not worth it for keys you don't use.
If I could get a discount for 6 piece set now it would include:
High G, Ab, Db, F#, low F, and pick any other. That's all I don't have.
Back to my original question..... I guess others use E more than I but I still think it should be Eb
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REM
120 posts
Dec 09, 2011
6:18 PM
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Actually I would imagine most of suzuki's harmonica sales are in Asian countries where playing in 1st position is very common on diatonic harps. Ussually it's on tremelo harps, but the 10 hole diatonic is also becoming more popular. But I would guess the main reason is that when it comes to selling sets of multiple keys, they looked to see what the bigger company (Hohner) was doing. Harmonica companies pay attention to what each other are doing.
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2011 6:19 PM
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rbeetsme
505 posts
Dec 10, 2011
5:48 AM
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What earlharp and REM said. Many of us are blues players and play 2nd position most of the time (Heck, Charlie McCoy told a group of us that he played 2nd position 99% of the time). Guitar players play a lot of tunes in E, if you play in first position you'll use an E a lot. I've had to use an E harp occasionally, even played a B a few times at a jam last summer. I can't remember the last time I needed an F#. A few harps I've found useful are those 364/365 Marine Bands, those are the 12 holer and 14 holers. I even have a few light customs. You get the low key and the rest of the diatonic scale in one harp. A little big but nice to be able to play low and normal without switching harps.
Last Edited by on Dec 10, 2011 1:08 PM
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Epworthslim
33 posts
Dec 10, 2011
12:56 PM
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seydel sets are configurable but they dont sell a high G as standard.
Slim.
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Slim's-Custom-Harmonica-Cases-Website
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