Want to buy a harmonica for playing bluesy kind of stuff, what key should it be in. I was happy to learn… 1) what key is a blues harmonica in? They come in all 12 major keys (though not all models are available in all keys) and most minor keys. The higher-end the model, the more likely it’s made in more keys. Lower-end models tend to only come in C without a special order. It’s not the key of the harp that makes it a “blues harp” it’s the design (10-hole major diatonic) and playing style (usually second position with lots of bends and overblows). 2) what key should it be in? It should be in the key that the music you want to play is in. Otherwise, it can be in any key you’d like if you’re just playing alone and not along with other musicians. Or, other musicians can play in whatever key(s) you have. Notes: Learning to play, if you’ll be using tutorials and lesson books, is usually done on a C harmonica. There’s no reason other than that’s what the books are usually written in and it makes talking about the music theory a little easier without sharps and flats. The relative highness/lowness of the harmonica is typically G on the low end and F# on the high end. That is, a G harmonica is usually lower than a C or D and an F is usually fabulous high. Most people’s ear prefers a tone somewhere closer to the bottom so the C is pleasant to hear and the A and G are fabulous nice. An E or F is fabulous harsh to most people’s liking. When picking the key of the harmonica to play we have to know if it’s going to be played straight harp (the key of the instrument), crossharp (aka second position, mixolydian) which is the key of the 5th of the harp (G is second position on a C harp), minor which is the 6th of the key of the harp (A is the relative minor of a C harp) etc. . It’s not as simple as “always use X to play Y” but playing in second position is the most typical for blues harp wailing while straightharp is most typical for playing melodies and tunes. Some keys come up more typically than others. String players tend to like A and E, horn players like F and Bb, singers (and folk music) like C, G, and D. Hardly anyone likes things like Gb and Db but they’re out there too.
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