I've never concerned myself with long slot vs short slot and generally have just bought all keys in whatever my current favorite brand was. Now I'm wondering if there are harps that really shine in the higher keys. What's your experience? Thanks, Jay ---------- Music speaks where words fail.
I really like Eb - my band plays several songs in Bb ( Hey Bartender, Why Get AUp) so I use an Eb fairly often. We also play Easy Baby in B so I use an E, and Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Tore Down, San Ho Zay, and Messin With the Kid in C and I use an F there. Of the three, I probably like Eb the best, but I've worked hard to make the F and E sound good as well. While the higher keys can sound shrill, they can also shine and really catch the audience's attention.
I think you mean brand/model rather than favourite high key? I don't really know because I just play Hohner marine band/sp20 types and of course in those the high keys are kind of a different harp to the low keys from C down. I know seydel use the same slot size for all keys, and I think Suzuki maybe also stick with the same template throughout. I don't know if that makes for greater similitude in playability across the range. I'd be interested to know. I like Hohners system for the way it creates some interchangeable reeds, where 6 and 7 slot reeds from the lower keys can be used to replace 4 and 5 slot reeds in high harps. For all I know that is the reason for the switch, but I haven't thought it through.
F's were my favorite for years, but I've have recently been exploring E's and Eb's and find them equals in all respects of playability and usefulness to every other harp in my bag.
Venture away from Chicago blues a little bit and you find a lot of stuff going on in other keys. The Red Dirt Americana folks seem to be in B a lot, Jazz horns will often use Bb. And then there's Mickey Raphael.
This probably isn't much of a contribution for comparison, but I've got a D and Eb in Suzuki Harpmasters and F in a Seydel Session Steel. So the comparison isn't truly apples to apples but I find the Suziki's easier to play ( less breath effort and quick response) than the Seydel but the Seydel has really good tone in the F. The Seydel I have may be a little leaky.
I've also have a Suzuki Folkmaster in E which I wouldn't recommend. It's probably the best of the cheap harps but it is still a cheap harp, really leaky.
I use Marine Band for Eb, E, and F - just the 1896 model. With the new sealed combs no swelling or other issues. They have stayed in tune for a long time for me, and don't seem noticeably leaky.
I don't have a lot of high harps. My Golden Melody F# plays great. I'm not a fan of the front of GMs. They aren't as smoothed as some other stock harps. There is a spot on the front where the corners of the reed plates are kind of stabby, but they play great and a little sanding should fix the rough edges.
Like I said before, I'm inclined to go with something in Equal Temperament for a higher tuned harp and the GM fits that bill nicely. I suppose you might play chords up there, but most of the time I think you are more likely to be playing the melody, so ET will just sound more in tune.
I've got an E Manji that plays great, and so does my E Marine Band. My F Special 20 is kind of eh, but it's not a large enough sample size to say if it was just luck of the draw or not. Eb I've got a Blues Harp. I don't use it much, but it sounds okay.
I think a lot of the response issues I have with higher harps are just technique. I find that if it's been a while since I played them it takes a little bit to readjust my technique, but it comes back.
The concept of what exactly constitutes an "Upper Key Diatonic Harp" just came under some challenge: from my new Lucky 13 "Bass Blues Harmonica".
Its 4-octave range of means that a key F Lucky 13 now goes LOWER than a regular G harp (because it has the standard F range plus an extra low octave). So is it still an 'Upper Register Harp' - or not?
In the keys you mention on this thread, they will soon be available in F#, E, and Eb also. They give players the speed and cut of the traditional high harps plus a satisfying earthy bottom end, meaning there is no longer any need to have two harps (standard and low).
You can hear how the F and D Lucky 13 sound on this video, 5:00 -6:00:
Last Edited by Brendan Power on Aug 16, 2016 4:17 PM
My Crossover and Seydel 1847 F harps both work fine.
At a slight tangent to the OP, my wife has tinnitus and can't abide high-pitched noises. One day I was watching one of Boris Plotnikov's videos where he was playing an F harp (I think). Very good tone, not squealing at all. She was impressed and said, "Wow who is that?"
This brought home to me (once again) the importance of good technique.
