What kind of harmonica should i buy for blues

The sound is described as bright and rich, and continues to be the favorite of professionals who play blues, rock and country songs. Build quality and reliability are also often commended. Cons Since it has a wooden comb, the downside for this is that it swells when it gets moisture and it may cause lip injury after long periods of time. It takes a bit more effort when it comes to taking it apart for cleaning and tuning, but with proper care, it's built to be durable and long lasting.

Many users mentioned the holes were smaller and its built-in wooden comb were stiffer compared to other harmonicas they have tried. It showcases an airtight design and recessed reed plates for faster sound production. Its comb is made of plastic, which is durable since it doesn't absorb any moisture, while its classic reeds and tuning provides great response and rich tone.

Pros As expected from an industry standard instrument, amateurs and professionals alike rave about how well made it is. It's sturdy plastic comb with recessed reed plates are what makes it comfortable to play as well as easy to clean and maintain.

Since its plastic comb is less prone to moisture, it's less likely to wear and tear after long periods of time. Cons Although it is reported by some beginners drawing on some of the holes were a bit challenging for them, many of them still find it easy to use when it comes to bending techniques. Overall At a reasonable price point, this harmonica is an exceptional choice for both professionals and beginners alike. It's recommended for beginners and for blues players to start with diatonic harmonicas.

They come with 10 holes and are tuned to a major or minor scale of specific key. For example, if it's tuned to the key of G, it will only play the G major scale. Although you can play blues on a chromatic harmonica, diatonic harmonicas are a befitting choice for playing blues, country and folk because of the additional drawing and bending techniques needed to produce that "bluesy" sound, and the missing notes from the scale.

As mentioned above, harmonicas are tuned to a specific key. Many of the songs you will learn are also tuned to the key of C. Most blues harmonicas are played in what's called a "second position" or also known as a "cross harp".

This means playing the harmonica tuned to a perfect fourth below the original key of the written music by using the 2 draw hole as a root note instead of using the 4 blow hole used for the first position and original key. If the music is written in G, then a C harmonica is used in the second position. This is the most common position used for playing blues. Choosing a comb material matters more in terms of maintenance.

There are four kinds of materials produced: wood, plastic ABS , plexiglass and metal. For beginners, it's best to go with plastic since it's easy to maintain and is comfortable on the lips. Metal combs are also another option that's less prone to wear and tear due to screws, though they are a bit more expensive. Wood is also another common material produced and they are much more prone to moisture, which can cause swelling and may leave cuts in your mouth while playing the harmonica, yet some people say that they give a much "warmer" sound and don't mind the efforts of maintaining it.

The cover of the harmonica is what creates the acoustics. It all depends on what type of sound you are going for when it come to choosing the type of cover design.

A lot of affordable to mid-range priced harmonicas have traditional covers where the back of the cover is more open producing a bright and clear tone. Another type is the cover-all design, which slightly muffles the harmonica, but resonates it more to produce a full, warm, and mellow tone. Metal covers produce a brighter sound while plastic produces a much softer sound. The quality of the harmonica are usually is on par with the price, especially with ones that are well built with high-grade materials.

If you're a hobbyist, a budget option would suffice. If you are serious about learning, it's more difficult to learn on a cheap harmonica since its poor construction causes air to leak out making them hard to play.

The first edition was published in and the latest edition was published on January 12, Because a particular model of a blues harmonica comes in several different keys, we decided to take the approach of only rating ones in the Key of C because the ratings are similar across the different key versions of a particular blues harp.

This means you can use our guide to decide on a model you like and then buy it in any key you want. Once we had established this approach we looked at the models available from major music gear retailers in the USA and placed 27 diatonic harmonicas on our short-list for closer examination - you can see them all in the Music Gear Database. We then gathered feedback and reviews about each harmonica, we got this from online retailers, forums, blogs and music gear review websites and videos.

For this update, we analyzed over 28, sources that we used for the Gearank Algorithm to produce our rating scores out of for each harmonica. We then used those results to select the highest rated options to recommend above.

We also used those review sources to report on what musicians say about each model we recommended. For more information about our methods see How Gearank Works. Here are the key people and sources involved in this guide's production - click on linked names for information about their music industry backgrounds. Three of our experts Vallely, musician Brian McIniss , and New York City—based musician and private teacher Marcus Millius like the Lee Oskar harmonica because it has slightly larger holes than other models and a bright and clear tone that makes it easy to learn how to isolate and play single notes — something beginner students often struggle with.

If that sounds like you or the harmonica player in your life, Barrett and Prene recommend this hole Super Chromonica Deluxe, from the same brand that makes our best overall harmonica for beginners. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments , rolling luggage , pillows for side sleepers , natural anxiety remedies , and bath towels.

We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Account Profile. Which harmonica to buy? The best harmonica. Harmonicas 4. Gift Vouchers Harmonicaland.

For diatonic harmonica the logical order is : First get a harmonica in C. C is the best key to get started because the length of the reeds is average and it's also the most common key in music.

Out of all 12 keys a harmonica in G has the longer reeds and a harmonica in F has the shortest reeds, C is right in the middle for reed length. A C harmonica allows you to play easily in the key of C as well as bluesy tunes in G and D and it is also one of the best option to play in all 12 keys on a single harmonica. The next keys recommended for intermediate players are: Harmonica in A, D and G. Those keys are the most common harmonica keys used in Blues, Country Music and Rock along with the C.

The Bb harmonica is a very good choice for jazz standards as most of them were written and played on Bb instruments such as the Trumpet and Tenor saxophone.

On the chromatic harmonica it is easier than on a diatonic to play in all 12 keys on a single harmonica.