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What key harmonica is best for beginners

What key harmonica is best for beginners

What key harmonica is best for beginners? – Many novice players ask us for advice about which keys of harmonicas they should start out with. To determine which keys will be best for you to buy, ask yourself these two questions:

1) Will you be playing solo, or with others?

Seeking intend to play solo, or simply for your own personal satisfaction, then any key can be used. Some other words, any song can be played in any key, regardless of what key the original composer, or artist, may have purchased.

However, if you for you to play with someone else, such as a duo or group, or perform along with a favorite recording, your key selection would be governed by those situations.

2) What kind of music do you want to play?

That you just can to know which keys of harmonicas to buy, it is necessary to first determine which style of playing you will be using, 1st Position or 2nd position.

If you want to play simple melodies and folk music, you will most likely be playing in 1st Get ranking. This means you would begin at the blow, accenting the blow notes and blow chords. You would use a C harp to play in C.

If you want more expression for playing Blues, Rock, Country and Pop music, you will most likely be playing in 2nd Position. This means you would originate from the draw, accenting draw notes and draw chords, and bending. You would use a C harp to play in W.

90% of today’s players use 2nd Position for Blues, Rock, Country and Pop music. Click on 1st Postion / 2nd Position or Basic Chords and Bending to uncover more about these topics.

It’s important to understand that although the note layout for each key of Major Diatonic will be different, the PATTERN of notes, chords and bends will be the related. This means that once you learn to play Jingle Bells on a C Major harp, you can play Jingle Bells on any key of Major harp (G, A, Bb, Low F, etc.) using create same blow/draw patterns.

C Harmonica – Why a Harmonica in the Key of C?

Most beginning players are advised to get a harmonica in the key of C. Those new to music may ask why a C harmonica is needed, rather than kind. Others may ask what is supposed any key of C harmonica. These questions are reasonable, this page answer individuals.

You need a C harmonica would harmonica instruction books will a*sume in order to have one, so that you can to with the playalong Cd blank disc. The 81 harmonica lessons at my teaching site Harmonica Academy can (almost) all be created by using an only a click C harmonica.

Your music shop get buying harmonica. These types of have the letter C on the box, as shown suitable here. The music shop may only have harmonicas in B and E (these are the keys usually do not get bought). Don’t if you buy one of these, can not follow your lessons.

The C harmonica scale and music keys

To understand what is meant by a key of C harmonica, a (very) small amount of music theory will help. Listen to this:

It is the C major scale, played on a C harmonica. It should sound familiar, and is the “do re me fa so la ti do” which many learnt at school. Music notes are indicated by the alphabet letters A through to G. So the C major scale has C as the first note, and is therefore in the key of C.

Now listen to this scale:

It sounds the same as the previous one, except a little higher. Listen to both scales, one after the other. Can you hear the difference?

The second scale is a D major scale, played on a D harmonica. This scale has D as the first note, and so is in the key of D. Music is often played in different keys. For example, a female will usually sing a partiuclar song in a different key than a male, as their voices need different starting notes (usually higher for the female).

So that’s what a key of C harmonica means…

Seeing that music keys have (hopefully) been explained, we revisit the harmonica. The common 10 hole harmonica is really a diatonic instrument, meaning that it is designed to play in one key (C for a C harmonica). This also means that some notes are incomplete. For example, if you compare a C harmonica with a piano, the C harmonica can play the white key notes only.

Actually there is a technique called bending, which recovers these missing notes. However bending is for a later date.

So, what things harmonica players do any song is played in the different significant? Simple. They just lift another harmonica, tuned to your key of this new record. Harmonica players therefore have a set of instruments several keys, like those shown above.

As a newbie you typically manage your lessons along with a single harmonica in informed of E. However when you start playing to musicians (hopefully you will), then harmonicas in different keys are needed. I remember the pride and anticipation while i bought very first set of harmonica, having newly learnt about music keys.

As a developing player you will receive opportunities to play with other musicians. Ensure that possess to a harmonica in accurate key before join in, otherwise chaos will soon follow. People plays as key of C.

Which harmonica keys should I get?

When you are just stating, the C harmonica will be fine. As you progress, then buy others. In the event you join in with guitarists (most people do begin with), then the following 5 harmonica keys touches on most situations: C, D, F, G, A.

As your music progresses you will get harmonicas in other keys as well.

A final twist… second position

Many beginning harmonica players want to play blues. As always, you need a harmonica which matches the key of each blues song you choose.

However, most blues harmonica is played in second position, where the harmonica key is dissimilar to the key of the song.

Details about second position blues harmonica are in the teachings at my Harmonica Academy site. However for now, the table below will show which key harmonica to use when playing second position blues.

Music key —- Harmonica key

A —————– D
Bb —————– Eb
B —————– E
C —————– F
C# —————– F#
D —————– G
Eb —————– Ab
E —————– A
F —————– Bb
F# —————– B
G —————– C
Ab —————– Db

You will soon learn which harmonica to use. In the meantime, write this table on to a business card, and keep it with your harmonicas.

When I first started I knew nothing of music keys, and was hence unable to push and pull on others (my harmonica was always in the wrong key). This frustrated me no end, and Experienced about to quit. Then, at a festival in New Zealand, someone explained music keys, second position, and the need to have harmonicas in different secrets.

Incredibly, they loaned me their instruments to try out brand new strain idea. I was immediately jamming with some musicians and singers. The festival had a stage through open mike, we tucked there. I was hooked.

I remain forever grateful to the person who explained music keys if you. Hopefully this page will provide similar a*sistance to other new players.

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