Harp Advice.

[Stevie]

I recall reading a great many years ago that a Marine Band harmonica was the one to go for.
I do have a Hohner chromatic but that is useless for playing "our" music with a guitar (I've found it quite difficult to get much of a bend on the notes with a chromatic)
What I'd be very grateful for is some hints for a good choice here. If the Marine Band is indeed a good choice, then what key would be most suitable for playing with a guitar in open G for example. I'm sure that some members must have experience with a harp?
I know it may seem an obvious choice, but knowing nothing about the subject, I'm wondering whether one in the key of G could possibly also do for D (or vice-versa) because both keys share F#.
I have been unable to establish anything from searches so far. It's not obvious how to structure a Google query regarding this to get sensible results beyond the usual (and tediously boring) commercial hits.

[General Savage]

The most common way to play a Blues in G would be on a C harp, often called "cross harp" or second position. The root note "G" is then found on the 2 draw. This puts the bends in good places for the the blues scale and gives fair access to the arpeggios of the I & IV chords. The Root & 5th of the V chord are also available.
You would want a G harp to play "cross harp" in D.

[Deleted]

Agreed.
Another example, the (cross) harp used in 'as the crow flies' is a D, the chord being A. You could probably work it all out from here, being clever like.
Hohners are OK too IMO.
TT

[pete1951]

Many players use Marine Bands but Lee Oskars are maybe more popular. Unlike the trad. M/band they have removable reed plates . this means you can just replace the reeds if 1 gets busted.
You need to talk to a good player or get a tutor, so you get the right harp in the right key.
But a C is a good place to start (playing `cross harp` in G ) a C harp is also in the middle of the `set` . G is (usually) the lowest(hardest to bend the low notes) F# the highest (a bit shrill up top) Your chromatic (if its a C) will give you Dminor(ish) Listen to Muddy Waters `I`m Ready`. PT

[gaucho]

The way some harp players explained it to me was to go up 4 steps from the key you play guitar in. So if your guitar is tuned open G (key of G) you go G>A>B>C. So you use a C harp. Don't ask me why, that's just what I've been told. I like to tune my Nationals down, Spanish, key of E and key of F. So I use an A and a B harp. The Hohner Blues Harp seems to be decent and I got a whole set in a case, off Musician's Friend Stupid Deal of the Day for $60. They are usually about $40 USD each.

[Stevie]

I knew it! This is the place!
Thanks for the replies already. This 3 step / four notes gap seems to be the way to go and key of C for guitar in G.
You know Pete, my Dad was great on his Hohner chromatic. He taught himself to play back in the late 1950s on night sentry duty in the R.E.M.E. He taught me how to use the tongue to block unwanted notes. I wish that I'd taken more interest at the time.
Armed with only a wooden "gun", he confessed to me that he was scared and started off just making a noise to get through the night. If he was still here, he'd be my first expert to call on...
It's odd how all that has been written is readily accessible on the internet when you know what you're looking for...
I'm going to play around with a C and see how I get on. Thanks all.

[Gerry C]

Steve, go on to YouTube and search for 'Annie Raines'. Apart from some terrific performance clips there are extracts from her harp tuition course made for Truefire. I recently bought the course and it has really improved my harp-playing - and I've had a Mississippi saxophone since I was nine! It goes from beginner to advanced and is full of good stuff; but even the short clips on YouTube are full of useful tips.

I play a mixture of Lee Oskar, Marine Band, Tombo and Suzuki Bluesmaster, but I'm slowly replacing all the older stuff with Lee Oskars: they're fine instruments.

Cheerily,

Gerry C

[Malc]

Hi Steve, the harp I use which for me has a fantastic blues sound is The Bushman Delta Frost. The Harmonic key for blues would be 4 steps up from the song key.For example if the song key is in G then,G1, A2, B3, C4. So for a song in G the harp would be in C.If the song key is in A then the harp would be in D and so on. Bushman have a great website with loads of info.
kind regards
Malc

[televiking]

Hi

The method where you use for example C harp in G is called

"cross tuning"

If you google that, you should get loads of info.


And a handy memory tip for choosing a harp:
If you play a "E"-shape chord or its barre variants in standard yuning, the cross harp tuning is the "A"-shape at the same fret.

So, E = A harp, G= C harp, A= D harp, F# = B harp and so on.

[dogue]

Hi Steve, I have Marine Band, Blues, and Meisterklasse all Hohner and a Lee Oskar . The Meisterklass is a great harp but quite expensive but i have to say my favourite is the Lee Oskar.My advice would be to find the one you like best and get a few different keys. Good luck.
Dogue.

[Stevie]

Guys, thanks for everything. A new lexicon (to me at least- I'd never heard of "cross harp")
I have ordered a Lee Oskar diatonic in C (to start with, maybe a G to follow when I've tackled walking!)
Pete, thanks for the heads-up on replaceable reeds- that was a decider for me. And Gerry C, the Annie Raines tip moved me to take the plunge.
Cheers!

PS, I wish I could get rid of those smileys. I have them disabled in my profile, but they just won't die and it's annoying because they arbitrarily change what I have written.

[Deleted]

Hi Stevie
I'm sure you do or will know this, but cross harp is characterised by SUCKING rather than BLOWING.
Bob Dylan, take heed...
TT

[Stevie]

@ TT:
No, I didn't, I was trying to take in Annie's vocal expressions, but I hadn't realised that it meant drawing rather than blowing. That is something that seemed so obvious as not to need a description!
This is going to be a whoje new diversion, I can see that.
Also, @ Gerry C: I did like that expression; "Mississippi saxophone" Thanks for the mental image!

[gaucho]

Anyone know what harp to use with Spanish tuning key of F? With the method I use, it should be a key of B harp. But I saw a chart recently that said B flat was the proper one. The chart is from an unknown source and could be off....

[pete1951]

Bflat!
To find the key you need just think of the next chord in a 12 bar of the key you want to play in(sometimes called the`4` chord)
So for `cross-harp ` in F the next chord is Bflat, and that's the harp that will play `2nd position` blues in F
PT
Helpfully, Lee Oskar harps have a chart in the box with all key and cross-harp positions
So a C harp , 1st is C. 2nd is G . 3rd D . (I don`t get any farther than that but there are lots more, 5??)