I’m kind of new to this, so can you please explain briefly the following: 1. Diatonic harmonica.
2. Chromatic harmonica.
3. Octave & Tremolo harmonica (I have this one). And how can I bend notes with ^ that ^ harmonica? I wanted to learn so I can play my guitar with it. After looking around, I learned — I hope this isn’t too long. I meant to write one paragraph and wrote all this. Hope it helps. -PC Diatonic: This harmonica generally has ten holes; each hole has two reeds, one reed sounds when you blow, the other when you draw. The key of the harmonica (it’s “root” note) is the note you get when you blow into the first hole. So, on a “C” harmonica, “1-blow” will give you a C note (same for 4-blow, 7-blow & 10-blow). Basically, notes are arranged so you get a chord when you blow or draw several at a time; blow the first three notes at once and you get a C-maj chord. Very handy for basic guitar accompaniment and playing simple melodies. On diatonic harps, certain notes are “missing;” the only way to reach them is to “bend” the reeds (a somewhat tricky technique). Without going into too much detail, just know this: you can’t bend all note. The easiest notes to bend are reeds which are tuned farthest from the OTHER reed in the hole. The closer the two reeds are tuned, the less you can bend them. Another weirdness is that you can only bend the higher note of the two reeds. That’s why you can bend 2-draw a couple of steps, but you can’t bend 2-blow. In the upper register, the pattern is reversed: the higher-pitched reed is blow, not draw. So, you can bend 9-blow, for instance, but not 9-draw. Playing in the same key the harp is tuned to is called “1st position” — if your harp is key of C and you play a song in the key of C, you’re in 1st position. This is also called “Major” or “Straight Harp. ” Most harmonicists play in 2nd position, or “Dominant” or “Cross Harp. ” This is when you play four steps away, so if you play guitar in the key of E but you use an A harp, you’re playing cross harp. This is most common because it’s standard for blues: it relies heavily on bending notes, giving that bluesy feel. Blues in G, use a C harp. Blues in A, use a D harp. Chromatic: This harmonica solves the “missing notes” problem by adding a button-slide to the instrument. Each hole actually has four reeds, but only two are available at a time. Push the button and the other two become available while blocking out the first two. In this way, you get all note found on a piano keyboard, including the black keys, without bending at all. This is a very diffucult instrument to master, but allows you to play any tune you could play on a piano. These are used in blues, but more often in jazz, popular or orchestral arrangements. Octave & Tremolo: I don’t normally play these so I’m not positive, but I don’t believe the reeds can be bent. These have two reeds of the same note in the same hole. They sound beautiful, but are more suited to folk music than blues or rock. When you play these with your guitar, you’ll have the best luck playing straight harp. Happy harpin’…
SINCE PEOPLE KEEP ASKING, HERE ARE THE SONGS THAT HE PLAYED ACCORDING TO COMMENTERS: (old man song) “Oh Susanna” 1ST: ‘Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring’ by Johann. . .
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