After years of halling around drums sets, tympani, marimbas, vibraphones and other large percussion instruments and then moving on the keyboards and sound systems, I's like play something more compact. Plus I think it would be a great addition to my OMB act. I imagine being to play harmonica along with tracks on my keyboard or even better yet with a keyboard that has a chord sequencer. Now that would give me a great excuse to buy a new keyboard too!

So anyboady know anything about the harmonica? What type should I get???

I have been doing this for sixty years, off and on. You are right. People like a change when I haul out the harmonica and play a verse through the mic.

Bare in mind that you have to play in the same key as the harmonica, which brings us to the next question. I have about 15 of them in different keys and sizes and quality. They range in size from small Marine Band harps in different keys to large chromatic Super harmonicas.

I would start out with a small Hohner blues harp in "C", or a double sided C & G. Whereas the chromatics can play in the cracks, so to speak, they are much harder to master. Stick to a plain diatonic to start.

Bernie

Hohner Blues Harp is my favorite.

http://www.bluesharp.ca/lessons/harmonica_lessons.html




and there are hundreds more ....


good luck!

I agree. A Hohner blues harp is the way to go. I much prefer wood to plastic too. Harmonicas made with wood and metal can be soaked in a glass of water before playing and are then much easier to bend notes when drawing hard on them playing blues style. I really like Hohner Marine Band harmonicas.

See http://www.sheehans.com/harmonicas/help/ for help on selecting the harmonica in the key you intend to play in.

If you buy a Hohner make sure you get your retailer to check it first. I was talking to a retailer who told me that only one in four are any good!

You might also consider a Melodion. As a keyboard player you should be able to play it straight away - just the tecnique to master.


The Pro37v2 is realy loud with tapered reads which allow for more expression.

A Melodica is really cool. In the early years, I had one duct taped to the top of a B-`3 and miked. I had a tube attached to the mouthpiece, so I could blow into it and continue to play the B-3 with both hands. Adjusted correctly at the amp, they sound a lot like harmonicas, if you stay in the correct range.


Really neat, portable instruments. I have two...one I've been playing every night for about 20 years and another my kids got because the other one looks so "ratty"!


Play a harp, too, with guitar. Started when I heard Stevie Wonder play "Fingertips" in 1963. He did a great version of "Alphie" on a chromatic at a White House function recently. Wish I could remember the name of the old Frenchman who did the Billy Joel solo and lots of others. So in demand he gets masters shipped to him, instead of traveling to the studio.

Got lots of blues harps in lots of keys, and a couple of nice chromatics.

Russ

Toots Thielemans? Not sure he was French, though. Dutch, maybe?

Thanks guys for the great advice. I'm always excited about learning new things in music- it's a never ending journey!

Toots is DA MAN! He's who I was thinking of. I know Stephen Grapelli, the great is from France...or at least lived there.

Thanks,


Russ

BTW, Toots plays on a bunch of Luis Miguel's albums. Luis Miguel is one of the bigest latino singing star ever.

I started noodling on the chromatic...I loved it enough to take a few lessons, too! It is a beast but a beautiful sounding one! I am still working on it, sloooowly. Toots is Belgian, I believe. Some great modern chromatic players, aside from Stevie Wonder and Toots include Gregoire Maret, Tollak Ollestad (spelling?), Yvonnik Prene, and Wim___________, as well as Hermine Duerloo, an amazing player, one of the few woman chromatic players.