What is really the difference between them and witch do you prefer or think would be better . Thanks . After speaking to others on the web, I found the answer. I’m a diatonic player so I’m gonna be biased and say diatonic, but it kind of depends on what you’re after in a harmonica. Diatonics are tuned to a set key which makes them easy to just pick up and and start playing like Bob Dylan. It takes years to master though, diatonics don’t have easy access to all the possible notes like the chromatic harmonica. Several of the notes that aren’t naturally found can be made by bending certain blow and draw notes like the blues guys. It is the bending sound of the diatonic that attracts most people to it. Great for blues, rock and folk. I would recommend Lee Oskar or Hohner Special 20 harps as they are cheap, reliable and easy to play. The chromatic harmonica has a button on the side which allows you to play the normal major scale, and with the button depressed, gives you all the half steps or notes in between. This allows you to play any scale, in any key like a piano, but you can’t bend notes very well on this instrument so you don’t get the same bluesy sound as on the diatonic. Better suited to jazz. I bought a Hohner Chrometta 10 which was reasonably cheap and serves its purpose well enough. Hope this helps. Best of luck.
Lee Oskar Demonstrates the Major Diatonic Harmonica. This is the traditional Blues Harmonica tuning, suitable for playing Blues, Rock, Folk, Country and Pop . . .
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