silverharp88
15 posts
Jul 12, 2013
1:30 PM
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i have C&G so my next harps should be D&A? or Ab&Db?
what are the most important harps in order?
i keep thinking the hell with it and just get a set of blues bands but everyone always says they suck.
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florida-trader
334 posts
Jul 12, 2013
1:40 PM
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Silverharp. Get an A - not that it is the "most important" but a lot of blues is played in the key of E which the second position for an A harp. Your question about which keys are "most important" and your musing about buying Blues Bands are a dead giveaway that you are new to this game. Welcome to the club. You're in a great place to learn, be entertained and grow as a harp player. You will get a variety of opinions about which harp you should buy - model and key - but most will agree that you should stay away from the Blues Band if you are serious about learning to play.
Best of luck to you.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Jul 12, 2013 1:41 PM
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Pistolcat
424 posts
Jul 12, 2013
1:48 PM
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I'd go with an A and Bb. Ab and Db is a lot less used... Do yourself a favour and get yourself sp20. Do not buy blues bands!
Edit: Harp in D could be another, valid choice.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
Last Edited by Pistolcat on Jul 12, 2013 1:49 PM
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FMWoodeye
736 posts
Jul 12, 2013
2:35 PM
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The most important key is the one you don't have. I agree with the esteemed gentlemen above and recommend an A harp next. Personally I would go with a D after that. Bb is nice to have. I don't use Ab or Db too often. Try not to wear them out faster than you can buy them. At this point (without disclosing specific models) I use one model harp for practice and another for "performance."
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Stevelegh
808 posts
Jul 12, 2013
2:52 PM
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A and D. After that a high F, but don't get all attached to it or you'll struggle when you go back to your G harp.
Have fun mate!
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SuperBee
1301 posts
Jul 12, 2013
2:53 PM
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If you want to save money, buy good harps. And ditto, get an A harp and a D harp if you want 2. Bb would also be good, because it is the friendliest pitch to work with IMHO.
Most common keys depends what you listen to. Assuming blues and 2nd position approach to playing, you'll find a lot in E, A and G, so there is your A, D and C harp. Stuff with horns is often in F, so there's your Bb. But then it's a toss up between G harp and F harp I think. Go with G because its more beginner-friendly and it sounds nice even if you don't bend much.
Eb harp is probably next after you have those. Or an E.
Ab is not that popular but actually is quite useful if you play along with Hendrix or stevie ray Vaughan because both those guys used to drop their tuning a half step. A lot of guys who play their stuff do that too. And lots of it is therefore Eb.
That will probably keep you going for a long time. I still don't have F#, B and Db.
But short answer, get an A or a D. Forget about blues bands, silver stars, piedmonts, all those cheap hohners are among the worst most overpriced junk on the market.
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JellyShakersTipJar
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silverharp88
16 posts
Jul 12, 2013
3:11 PM
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i was thinking Jambone rather than cheap Hohner or are those just as bad? I was thinking those because I would be less scared to take em apart and learn the mechanics of the harp.
if you break a 5 dollar harp its not as bad as breaking a 40 dollar harp.
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SmokeJS
127 posts
Jul 12, 2013
3:25 PM
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Silverharp, I'd rather have one reasonably decent harp than a belt full of cheap stuff. Trying to learn to play on poor quality instruments just makes everything much more difficult. Unless you're already in need of many keys to play with others I'd suggest picking up reasonable priced quality harps as you need them or can afford them. My personal suggestion is the Special 20. Almost a value price and readily customizable when you're ready for that step.
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SuperBee
1302 posts
Jul 12, 2013
3:31 PM
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You know...when I really got into it I had Suzuki folkmaster in G and a sp20 in C. The Sp20 was an MS sp20 and it was really hard to play. Needed gapping but I didn't understand that for years. I bought an A and a D huang silver tone deluxe. Blew the heck out of them both. When a reed jammed I had to take them apart and fix them. There was no you tube back then...so I just did it. When I learned about gapping it changed my world. Suddenly I could make any harp play. And I appreciated the well made ones.
Go ahead, play with jambones. Watch videos about how to gap them. But sometimes they just won't come right. Sometimes they'll be ok.
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JellyShakersTipJar
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rogonzab
340 posts
Jul 12, 2013
3:43 PM
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Folk masters are OK, Harpmasters and BigRivers are great.
Dont go any cheaper than that.
Last Edited by rogonzab on Jul 12, 2013 3:44 PM
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6SN7
331 posts
Jul 12, 2013
4:08 PM
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A & D are wise choices.
A,C,D,F,G are the important 5 to have if you want to play with others.
I like the low F Thunderbirds, as I prefer them to playing a regular F as it is too high.
I also have an Eb, I use that a lot as I play a number of swing tunes.
Bb is nice too.
Of course, if you play with a SRV/Hendrix nut, they always play a half step from where you usually play, so you have to get the Db , F# and Ab.
Last Edited by 6SN7 on Jul 12, 2013 4:10 PM
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FMWoodeye
737 posts
Jul 12, 2013
4:22 PM
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Here's what I do. I practice with Special 20s ($37), and I "perform" with Crossovers ($67). When I blow a reed in a Special 20, I send it out to Andrew, who is interchangeable with MP and others, depending on geography. For $10 or $15 they repair the reed, tune and gap the whole harp, open up the back and whatever else they do, and it comes back playing like a new Crossover (or better). Any harp I have had worked on in this manner, I mark with an adhesive star, and it becomes a "performance" harp. The last Special 20 I bought was a clunker (it happens) and I'm sending it out right away, before I can break it. I tend to break these practice harps because I abuse them in practice through repetition of licks and pounding what I call "anchor notes" in long, technical licks. I guess if I bought a Special 20 and sent it out to be optimized, I'd have $47 (plus shipping)invested and have a fine harp. BUT...the difference between you and me is I have a pipeline of harps, new ones coming in, functional ones ready to play, and harps undergoing repair, so they're coming and going all the time. To make a long story short...HA!!! TOO LATE NOW!!
Buy some decent quality harps. They are a way better value in the long run.
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nacoran
6925 posts
Jul 13, 2013
1:45 PM
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I highly recommend buying a couple five dollar harps to practice tinkering with. Try tuning, embossing, profiling, opening the backs, flat sanding... all the stuff you might break a harp doing, and think of the harps as already broken. Get comfortable with how the insides of harps works on that way, but for something that will be playable, you want to go at least with a Big River or better (preferably better). I'd suggest trying a couple different models and temperaments to see what you like. You can't go wrong with a Special 20. (At first glance, harps like Blues Bands look like Special 20's. The covers and combs are similar, but the reed plates and reeds are much thinner. They don't sound nearly as nice, and the covers actually are much sharper and more likely to slice your lips up.)
Edit: As to key- A and D are good choices, and Bb too, but if you sing at all, see if you can figure out what your range is and pick something that fits. I'm particularly fond of the Bb for that reason. I've got enough range to sing in any key, but in Bb I can choose to sing high or low, (and that seems to be the only key I can do both in). It's not too hard to figure out your range if you have access to a piano. If you don't sing, don't worry about it though.
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
Last Edited by nacoran on Jul 13, 2013 1:48 PM
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Thievin' Heathen
224 posts
Jul 13, 2013
2:50 PM
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Don't forget about Huangs. They are pretty decent, cheap harps.
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S-harp
137 posts
Jul 13, 2013
5:02 PM
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Depends on how familiar you are playing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd position.
With C and G already in your bag, I would most def. go with an A as your next harp, positions aside. You must be able to play in the key of E, 2nd position. When it comes to the D harp vs Bb harp or even the low F harp as the next harp, it depends upon your ability to play positions 1 and 3.
My personal choice would not be the D harp, even though I always bring one. I prefer to play the key of A 1st pos or 3rd pos. My choice after the A harp would therefore be Low F or Bb, depending on what songs beeing played. I really like the low F ... works with horns in ps 1 as mentioned, (as the Bb also does) and sounds wonderful in pos 3 in the key of G. Some bands like to mellow out in the key of C, then a Bb harp in pos 3 is unbeatable.
So, I'm sorry, my advise is to get both the low F and the Bb. Then maybe go for the D-harp.
When it comes to what harps to buy there is really no question about it ... imo ... SP20, Marine Band Classic and even Big River ( Paul Delay played these) as your lowest level harp. Forget about a full low price set ... not worth it! It will only take a month or three of playing to realize that!
And most importanly, don't listen to the likes of me to much ... to some extent it's just a matter of preferance ...
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
Last Edited by S-harp on Jul 13, 2013 5:04 PM
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fred_gomez
114 posts
Jul 13, 2013
5:47 PM
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i blow out A and D the most i have a Ab Db and F# from the late 70s theyre still good. i have 2 guitars one in open G one in open D. so C and G are a must. i use a capo on the D to strum in E so A is also a must. i think walter horton always played A in 1st. little walter also played in A 1st sometimes as did jimmy reed. so with an A you can play in A and E with a C you can play in G and Dm with a G you can play in G, D and Am. that should get you up at open mics most players will work with what you have.
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12gagedan
268 posts
Jul 13, 2013
7:18 PM
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Get an A harp next.
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12gagedan's YouTube Channel
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fred_gomez
115 posts
Jul 15, 2013
10:41 AM
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the key of E is considered unimportant as blues is rarely in B. but little walter did some cool things with E and A, like playing E in first and A in second or E in second and A in third. carey bell played in A with 3 harps A,D and G. you really dont need alot of harps to do some cool things on stage.
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