Josh Stinson
1 post
Jun 04, 2019
11:32 AM
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I've been playing a key of G harmonica along with songs that are also in key of G but want to play the same songs along with my guitar but tuned down half a step. I tried a F# harp but it doesn't sound right. Anyone know what key i should get?
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LFLISBOA
50 posts
Jun 04, 2019
1:29 PM
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Are you using a regular F# or a low F# ?
Maybe a low F# sounds more familiar to your ears, or you could try a B harp, using second position.
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nacoran
10127 posts
Jun 04, 2019
4:04 PM
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If you were playing G songs in G (1st position) if you are tuned down half a step that should be F#, but like LFLISBOA said, a low tuned one might sound more similar.
And of course, just because a guitar is tuned to a key doesn't mean you are playing in that key. (You probably know that, but theory levels are all over the place for different players.)
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Gnarly
2661 posts
Jun 04, 2019
4:36 PM
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Pretty clear, you need a low F#.
Seydel probably makes one, mine is a Special 20 in G tuned down a half step.
Is there a Thunderbird in F#? I know Suzuki doesn't make one, but they made one special for Mooncat.
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SuperBee
5999 posts
Jun 04, 2019
6:11 PM
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I’ve got a Seydel Session LowF# (brass reeds)
I’m hesitant to say it’s amazing but I am in fact amazed by how good it is. It’s the best Seydel product I’ve experienced, in terms of playability for me.
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Josh Stinson
2 posts
Jun 06, 2019
3:57 AM
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. Ill pick up a low F# and see if its the sound im looking for.
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Thievin' Heathen
1138 posts
Jun 08, 2019
8:27 PM
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Rockin' Ron was closing out so oddball MS reed plates a couple of years ago. I have a Low Eb and a Low F# MS Blues Harps around here somewhere. I'm saving them for the tuned down guitar players I run into from time to time, and as a reminder to check RR's website frequently.
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Philosofy
911 posts
Jun 09, 2019
7:53 AM
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Kind of a related question, but why are harps labeled F# instead of Gb?
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SuperBee
6006 posts
Jun 09, 2019
2:10 PM
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I don’t know the real reason but Gb/F# are pretty much equally bad in some ways. F# may be slightly more common
The IV chord for a piece in Gb would be formed in Cb which is a rather horrible key to think your way around but it’s only a concept unless you’re trying to read it from a score
F# has the E# in 3 and 7 draw
Gb would have Cb in 5 and 9 draw
I am not sure if I have seen some manufacturer label a harp as Gb, but I expect it was a toss-up which came down as F# and everyone has gone with it since.
I also don’t know when F# harps first became available. It may have been relatively recently and inspired by a need for a particular genre, like country music for instance, which is dominated by strings where F# and C# chords would be more common than Gb and Db
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Bilzharp
191 posts
Jun 10, 2019
7:40 AM
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"I also don’t know when F# harps first became available."
@SuperBee - from what I can tell from old catalogs and price lists, 1970 was the first year that Hohner offered the Marine Band in all keys. The following year they added all keys to the Blues Harp and Orchestra I as well. I know they labeled the cover plates with a C# for a couple of years before they settled on Db. I have no idea what the reasoning was or why all of them except for the F# are labeled as flatted keys.
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STME58
2082 posts
Jun 10, 2019
11:58 AM
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My guess on the labeling is that F#/Gb is at the bottom of the circle of fifths and it the most ambiguous pair of enharmonics. Many representations of the circle label the bottom 3 with the enharmonics, Db/C#, Gb/F# and Cb/B. You could do this all the way back up to C and start over again with double flats and sharps. I expect a brass player would label the bottom key Gb and a string player F# based on the keys they most often play in (Symphony orchestra brass not withstanding). As strings tend to outnumber brass, F# it is.
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SuperBee
6009 posts
Jun 10, 2019
1:23 PM
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Now I think of it, Mayall’s Room to Move used an F#, and that’s probably around when they became available.
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Raven
159 posts
Jun 25, 2019
6:58 AM
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I was fortunate enough to have purchased a SP20 Low F# before Hohner ceased manufacturing them which I still use consistently years later. Still waiting for Suzuki to add more variety to their line-up. If I were to purchase a low F# right now, I'd probably opt for a Seydel Blues Session Steel.
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Thievin' Heathen
1142 posts
Jun 29, 2019
5:22 PM
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If I was going to buy a low F# today, I'd go to Rockin' Ron's and try one of those new Lee Oskars.
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SuperBee
6042 posts
Jun 29, 2019
8:53 PM
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^+1 I think Lee Oskar have decided to join the game. I expect they’ll be paying extra attention to quality control at this stage
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