I wonder what is your view on this. There are many pros & cons with harp, which some I try to list here and explain why it is my choice of instrument.
Pros: -Small -Cheap -Easy to get -Rather easy to get started with -Bluesy sound -Good microtonal/bending abilities -There aren't (yet) lots of players that can utilize all the techniques (e.g. OB's) -Instrument is currently in the process of transformation which can bring lots of opportunities to differentiate from the others
Cons: -Hard to play accurately -Lots of practice to get embouchure right -Fast passages are rather difficult, depending on the position -Several keys (usually) needed -Chromatics requires modifications to the harp -Richter tuning requires advanced techniques to be able to even produce all the notes in chromatic scale - not to mention ability to actually use those notes in melodic passages -Instrument hasn't still received the status of "real" instrument
For me the biggest thing is that it gives lots of challenges to develop oneself with this instrument. I like the fact that there aren't many people who can even produce all the OB notes on the richter tuned harps - I guess there are perhaps a dozen finnish guys that can do it. (Or even less - I only know of one person besides myself.) It is also an underground thing and I like that too. I'm sure that when my chops are in the level where I can really utilize the instrument there will be plenty of opportunities where I can use those skills. The modern technology gives lots of possibilities to modify the sound so that it could be used in any kind of music. I also like the fact that the instrument is in transformation in many ways - OB's, valved harps, alternate tunings, different musical usages like beatboxing, jazz, rock, etc.
I just think there are lots of potential in this instrument and I want to be in the leading edge. However, I think that it would be easier to pick up some other instrument if I would just think about the musical abilities in a sense of producing the notes. It would be a lot easier to master the musical scales with keyboard or sax for example.
When i got my licence age 18 my Little Bro wanted a lift to the big smoke to buy a guitar from a fancy music shop in one of them big Fancy shopping malls:)
He was Checking out Guitars there was this big Fancy Flashy signe advertising the new Hohner Special-20:) and it came with a learn to Play Harmonica in 5mins instruction Book so my Bro got his Guitar i got me Special-20 and still Playing SP-20's:)
Bro this is what i thought:)
-Small -Cheap -Easy to get -Rather easy to get started with -Bluesy sound
This is what i found out:(
-Hard to play accurately -Lots of practice to get embouchure right -Fast passages are rather difficult, depending on the position -Several keys (usually) needed -Chromatics requires modifications to the harp
what do you expect from an 18 year Old Rookie with a hot car and a Brand new Special-20 yep was some seriouse dreaming going on Back then:) ---------- and Im still learning:)
I actually found my first harmonica. I just started tooting away at it trying to figure out the mystery of what I would later recognize as richter tuning. Then I figured I'd look at what Google had to say on the subject. What convinced me to keep at it was finding out how complex the instrument is, and the fact that it is challenging in some ways. I'm also attracted to disciplines that aren't really well respected. It makes it so much more sweet when you gain respect from people.
Besides, every musical wannabe plays a guitar. How many wannabe harmonica players have you ever met? Also, it was the first instrument I had ever tried to learn where I wasn't taking lessons, and no one was telling me what to play or when to practice. All of the harmonica instructional material that I found was more based around making your own music, which was also attractive. I could also practice whenever I damn well pleased (which was just about every second I could get).
1967 - I was 14 and a drummer in a garage band called "The Uncalled For Five" I needed a new (real) drum set and my parents could not afford (or just would not buy one). So I went to my local music store and bought a Marine Band for about $4.50........and gave up the drums !! ----------
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
Last Edited by on Sep 01, 2010 3:58 AM
You know, I used to regret that I never learned to play sax. Then, after I learned multiple positions on harmonica which enabled me to play a wider variety of material, I realized that i actually had more opportunities to play and more styles of music I could play than if I played sax. Of course by this time I had learned music theory which is essential in order to be taken seriously by good musicians and to be able to play competently in various musical contexts.
Oh, and yes, harmonicas are fairly portable. And very expressive. And they amplify well for playing electric.
Last Edited by on Sep 01, 2010 4:04 AM
The sound. I know harmonica chose me. When I heard it (live) I knew I had to play it. The only instrument I know of that compares is a violin -and I ain't going there.
I've got bad wrists- carpal tunnel time problems, and smallish hands. Guitar and Keyboard weren't an option and my baritone playing ended when I realized that there was no baritone in modern music. And I was poor.
Nacoran: "I've got bad wrists- carpal tunnel time problems, and smallish hands. Guitar and Keyboard weren't an option"
I have exactly the same problem. Had to stop playing the guitar because of the carpal tunnel & wrists - tried piano too but it wasn't option either. I tried few other instruments too like the sax, pan pipes and trumpet. Trumpet was pretty cool but I couldn't play it in any band and lost my interest to it - although now I'm thinking of second try with it.
Harmonica had it's status in blues and it sounded really cool with the bends, which made me start to practice it more seriously..
Apskarp, I've got a trumpet sitting in my living room. I tried picking it up figuring I could use my baritone experience. Unfortunately I've got a chipped front tooth. It doesn't hurt except when I play trumpet!
@pharpo I am the same as you; first drum kit at 14, after that was pro drummer in the early '70's with no great success. started playing the harp at the same time 'cause I loved the sound through seeing John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in the '60's Had an accident (sport) on me ankle and couldent use the bass drum pedal so have concentrated and loved the harmonica ever since.
This is a great thread, and I've really enjoyed reading everyone's posts on the subject! I started playing harp beacuse one day my dad randomly bought me that David Harp book "3 minutes to blues harmonica" that came with a cheapo harp. My friend had been playing his harp out on digs (we are both archaeologists), and I wanted in on it too. It was mostly campfire/country stuff back then... really simple stuff. I was then really into Ryan Adams (still am), and I wanted to be able to play the harp parts from his songs....
After a while I got a bit bored and put the harp down. Fast forward a couple of years, and due to some emotional hardships, I was looking for a stress outlet, and picked the harp up again. I had just discovered YouTube, and so searched it and came across the good Doctor, who had about 6 or 7 vids up at that time. I was like "well this is a good place to start", and I've been at it ever since.
Mainly, I think the harp has a sound you can't imitate, but which you can make to sound more or less like other instruments. It's really challenging to learn how to do all that, especially because the instrument is so deceptively "simple". In the beginning I also thought it would be a cheaper instrument to play than others, but that clearly is NOT the case... You gotta have harps of a certain quality, and you gotta have A LOT of them. In the end, there's really no price difference than guitar or other instruments. What IS different is the amount you have to lay out to GET IN to playing harp. You can get in for as little as $20 for a decent enough harp. Try THAT with guitar....
These days, It's the challenge of making music in genre's that are traditionally not done with harmonica that keeps me playing it... I also just love the tone and timbre of harmonica music.... It's just so expressive! ---------- ------------------ View my videos on YouTube!"
@ TahoeMike00- NO SH*T! I used to have one of those! hahaha I can't remember the last time i saw that thing but now I'm going to look for it.
To answer the original question of why- I've played trumpet, guitar, and bass but I was in an army unit that didn't have a harmonica player. I thought about all those old war movies and how you always have a guy playing the harmonica in the back ground during their down time. I had to be that guy. I wanted to put the time in to learn the instrument so I might could bring up morale if needed. Ever since then, I've been hooked.
Actually I do have Bongo's & Cajon, which I play from time to time. I'm planning on getting a djembe too. But I haven't been able to really get into practicing the drums systematically although I know it would be really good for my rhythm capabilities..
Isaac, you are totally right about the "illusion of cheap instrument". When I add all the costs that I have had with my rig (10 harps, tools, mics, amp, effects) it has been actually about the same as with my guitars (two electric ones+ one acoustic + amp). And even if you count just the harps it gets to the same level as the guitar.
i usually carry about $800 worth of harps and a mic in my case. then between $400 and $1200 in amps. i have probably $500 in mics. so it has not been cheap even though i've done a little horse trading to get some of my gear. and the econo stim our last prez laid on us turned into a '59 bassman replica.
at the very beginning i had not much idea what i was doing or was going to do. my first harp was a legacy from my long-passed father. hearing harmonica on a lot of pop stuff and rock stuff, and having no dough for a "real" instrument, i decided that the cheap, portable, simple harp would be a good way to keep hanging out with friends who had taken up music. i sort of got left behind since i did not progress like they did. over many years i made plenty of blunders. i took a very long time to mature and develop as a player with any real skills. but once i made a little progress i was hooked, and stubbornness can be a good thing. so can a student mindset, which i finally began to adopt about 13 years ago. even at this stage of the game i'm not heavily technical, at least not in any way that i can explain to a new player. i have always leaned more toward the gut side of the equation. i tried to just not play for over a year some years back, after having had some success working with bands, gigging a lot, playing in studio a few times, etc etc. that was probably the hardest year of my life. after that year plus of playing out about once, i decided that i would always embrace music from that day forward. i tried several other instruments along the way, guitar, keys, all sorts of novelty rhythm stuff, a uke, dulcimer, autoharp, but none were really in my grasp. the one i have always come back to, and stuck with exclusively for the past 15-20 years, is harmonica. it has truly been my legacy in my family. i am the only one in this generation who has pursued music on my terms and had some measure of success. so at this late date there's no point to change directions or quit. it's just too huge a part of me.
I don't think a harmonica is a cheap instrument anymore. A good harmonica is going to cost at least $25 to $30 and that's the low end of pro level harps. A serious harp player needs diatonic harps in at least 7 different keys and that's going to run about $150-$200. I like to try new makes and models of harps and that can get to be an expensive habit. The reason the harmonica is my instrument of choice is because I've always liked the sound, especially cross harp. I think a harmonica sounds good in a band setting, with a single guitar, or by itself. You can get notes on both in-breaths and out-breaths so you can actually breathe music. Also harmonicas are so portable, there's always room to carry at least one with you.
Last Edited by on Sep 04, 2010 7:11 AM
I chose harmonica as I like the tone and I can afford one when I was 16. Now I often think that, I'd be glad to playing trumpet instead of harmonica. I love harmonica, but I love trumpet more. As I spent a lot of time practicing harmonica I just try to play harmonica with trumpet's phrasing. ---------- Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
I had been playing the flute for years. Eventually I ended up in a band that played bluestunes. Flute worked fine, but one of my bandmates gave me a couple of ancient Special 20's, saying: "Try blowing on these." I got hooked good and proper. What I like about wind instruments in general is that playing them is very 'organic'. I don't want to go 'New Age' on you folks, but there it is.
oh, to meet girls! as a teen i posessed social skills one step above catatonic. everybody knows the guy on the bandstand trumps the non player by an incredibly wide margin. it's like a scientific fact.
no more need for prolepsis which only serves to insulate ones cocoon with sorrow. ---------- MP hibachi cook for the yakuza doctor of semiotics superhero emeritus
Last Edited by on Sep 03, 2010 10:50 AM
I play because of the harps beautiful sound expressive how can you beat it played amazing grace one night on my condo deck during a beautiful sunset-my neighbors said it moved them to tears-expressive to the first degree
Few days ago day I was walking in the parking hall of my workplace. As the acoustics are very nice there I often play harp there if I'm alone. So, as I thought I'm alsone I played some this time too. However, there was a cleaning lady behind a corner cleaning the stairway. She heard me playing and started to talk about how her late father used to play harp too and she haven't heard it for a long time. I played a song of mine to her and she was very happy and thanked me.
Now, there aren't many instruments you can do stuff like that..
H-nick - Room to Move -did it for me....That song opend a door to the blues for the rest of my life. Many folks don't think John Mayall is a very good player.....but I'll bet that one song opened many eyes, as it did mine. ----------
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
Last Edited by on Sep 04, 2010 8:56 AM
I like the fact that in harmonicas, there is no "standard" sound that all manufacturers strive for. Some harmonicas are trebly, others have more bass, some have a narrow range of harmonics, others are pretty wide.
A different times, I've fallen for just about every harmonica out there. Each one feels different, sounds different and makes for a different musical expression.
In general, more money means better build quality, not better sound. "Better sound" is entirely up to the player.
Hard to believe that I started playing harp 32 years ago!! After watching Norton Buffalo on Austin City Limits on TV.
At the time, I had been out of college for 2 years, working, bought my first stereo, enjoying a variety of music. My friends and I hated the disco music, so we frequented bars with live music leaning towards country, country-rock, and bluegrass... got into Jonathan Edwards, John Prine, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jerry Jeff Walker... that sort of music. Not really exposed to blues much at the time.
Heard Norton Buffalo on ACL and my jaw dropped, and went out the next day and bought my first harp at a local Oasis Record Store that had a big Hohner display. My first harp ? A friggin Hohner 270 chromatic in G ! Shows how little I knew... I just had to have a harmonica !
Met up with a harp player who played in one of the local "redneck" bands, and he pointed me in the right direction... Special 20's !
We became best of friends, and made other best friends with other local harp players (in Youngstown Ohio).
Loved the sound of harmonicas! Not just blues harps, but also echoes, tremlos, chromatics.
Loved the portability! I had a leather belt patch that I carried 6 or 7 Special 20's in (before that I carried weed, papers, pipe, and fire in it!).
Loved the hobby and still do! Most hobbies aren't cheap unless you like reading library books. Don't want to even count how many harmonicas I own... I can still count the mics and amps, and I always hope to keep it that way ! Well, maybe another mic to try out for another unique sound !
Love to tinker, so working on harps fits right in... once you get or make the proper tools !
Love to listening to the pro harp players for inspiration and ideas... and also to non-harp music, to see how my harp playing fits in or not.
Never run out of things to learn on harp... I get into ruts like anyone else, but I'm always making some sort of progress, or working on some other song.
Everyone should play some musical instrument and make it a part of their life. I never leave home (unless by accident) without at least one harmonica on me !
Bending chords... is pretty much restricted to harmonica. It's doable on the guitar, but you'll never get as awesome sounding blues/dissonant chords as with the harp.
Got hooked on this great little miracle of an instrument 46 (groan) years ago. Just 14 years old when I heard a school mate do a blues bend on a harp and thought, hey I like the sound of that. Then after a few days and one little wonky bend later on an Echo Super Vamper!! and I was addicted. My harps have been rusting and neglected for a while now, until I discovered the unbelievable number of resources now available to help players learn and improve. Problem in the past was that you simply had to listen over and over to records to get a riff and I did plenty of that. Another thing was that out of the box harps were a lottery, but every now and then you would get a good 'un. If you got a bad one you kinda gave up on it, whereas now after watching tutorials I can just tinker with them to get them playing great, which incidentally I have to do with the majority of harps, whatever make. Glad to have discovered this site which is a goldmine of views and info.
In summary It's cheap, you don't have to tune it up and you can carry it around with you all the time like your mobile. Ummmh now if only they could combine the two!
@apskarp: I've had many similar experiences like that. Where I was playing at the bus stop or while camping, and someone overhears it and just loves it and asks me to play more... You are right. That really doesn't happen much with other instruments because you can't fit them in your pocket like you can with ours! That's a really important aspect of why I chose harp, and why I continue to play it! ---------- ------------------ View my videos on YouTube!"
It's the only instrument that I had left after selling my one and only acoustic guitar for money to put into that "Money Pit" of a truck that I own. Really though, it IS a nice truck, '96 Chevy S-10 with a Vortec 350/TH350 trans, 3.73 gears, will pass anything but a gas station,LOL. Also, being unemployed, harps are pretty inexpensive as musical instruments go, even for a pro quality one like a Special 20 or Suzuki BluesMaster so even I can scrap the cash together to get a couple to play on. Of course I also love the Blues and Classic Rock so that's another reason.
Last Edited by on Sep 13, 2010 3:27 PM
Because nothing else is as close to the human voice (the first instrument) in my opinion and with half-valving I get all the notes and twice the emotion.
