The tone of this harmonica is influenced by its wooden comb, which gives it a rich and fuller sound. This is an MS harmonica or Modular system. That means that whilst it is designed for a certain sound and genre, and all the components are interchangeable. This means you can change the components to get the sound best for you. We’ve already established that the IV chord is F major. Conveniently, this marries up with what’s known as 12th position, which those in the know also call Lydian Mode. One way or another this will fit over our IV chord. The problem is it doesn’t sound all that bluesy in its natural state. Nominally speaking, the root note of 12th position is in 5D, which affords us space to range up and down the harp. From 5Dwe can map out a convenient major pentatonic scale 5D 6B 6D 7B 8D 9D 8D 7B 6D 6B 5D up and down. If we’re feeling really adventurous, we could also go from 2D” of course; 2D” 2D 3D” 4B 4D 5D 4D 4B 3D” 2D 2D”. All good, but where’s the blues at? In Armenia, the harp has been used since the fourth century BC. [ citation needed] Common usages included weddings and funerals. [39] The "Antler Cup with a Feast Scene", found inside a vessel in Nor Aresh and now preserved in the Erebuni Fortress, depicts a harp. [40] Information about early medieval Armenian musical instruments has been found in Armenian translations of the Bible. [41] [42] [43] In sport, the harp is used in the emblems of the League of Ireland football team Finn Harps F.C., Donegal's senior soccer club. Outside of Ireland, it appears in the badge of the Scottish Premiership team Hibernian F.C. - a team originally founded by Irish emigrants.

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. The alternative system and possibly more common design is Richter tuning. This is better for playing chords. The lower sections of the harmonica playing the dominant and tonic chords on draw and blow, respectively. If you were playing in ‘C’ then this would be C and G.The blues journeyman should also learn to identify each of these styles by ear and use positional playing sympathetically. Honking away in an alternative position for the sake of it might be impressive for a spell, but it may also demonstrate more about musical immaturity than harp technique. Unbidden, call it blues graffiti if you will. As artists our responsibility is to share the musical canvass, not to deface it. This means respect for fellow musicians, the audience, and the mood, but most of all for the song. This harmonica also has a Doussie wood mouthpiece. The covers are stainless steel, and it has brass reed plates. You can see then that Hohner has used quality materials in the manufacture of this instrument.

Williamson, Robert M. (2010). Thomas D. Rossing (ed.). The Science of String Instruments. Springer. pp. 167–170. ISBN 9781441971104. Ortiz, Alfredo Rolando. "History of Latin American Harps". HarpSpectrum.org . Retrieved 12 December 2014.Those basic principles have been applied to a certain extent with this harmonica. The Blues Bender PAC (Patented Acoustic Covers) harmonica attempts to introduce you to some easier note bending. The Eastar Major Blues Diatonic Harmonica's main distinguishing feature is its colorful finish, which include eye candy colors like purple and pink. This colorful design helps it appeal to younger harmonicists.

They fall into two categories Diatonic and Chromatic. Diatonics only play some notes of a specific scale. Chromatic plays all the notes of the Chromatic scale. It is Diatonic that is often used in modern music and Chromatic for Classical and Jazz. The harp is also found in Argentina, [30] though in Uruguay it was largely displaced in religious music by the organ by the end of the 18thcentury. [31] The harp is historically found in Brazil, but mostly in the south of the country. [32] Andean harp Structure and mechanism [ edit ] Basic structural elements and terminology of a modern concert harp van Vechten, Carl (1919). "On the relative difficulties of depicting heaven and hell in music". The Musical Quarterly. pp.553ff.However, more and more people are attempting to overblow, or at least trying to bend on all notes (using valves or the XB-40), on diatonics, since overbend and bending allow wailing, which is a desired aspect of many styles such as blues – something that is hard to simulate with chromatic harmonicas. a b Montagu, Jeremy (2002). "Harp". In Latham, Alison (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Music. London, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 564. ISBN 0-19-866212-2. OCLC 59376677. In the context of Christianity, heaven is sometimes symbolically depicted as populated by angels playing harps, giving the instrument associations of the sacred and heavenly. In the Bible, Genesis 4:21 says that Jubal, the first musician and son of Lamech, was 'the father of all who play' the harp and flute. [63] [64] [65] This harmonica is in the Key of C. Whilst it is suitable for the beginner, it is also positioned as an experienced player instrument. The comb is an injection-molded plastic that has the projected mouthpiece we discussed earlier. The 0.9mm recessed reed plates are made from brass and are mounted with screws. It has stainless steel covers, which have closed sides. It is made in Germany. It is made with good materials as you would expect from Hohner and has brass reeds and a Doussie brown wooden comb. Doussie is an orange and brown wood that matures with age. The comb is an essential part of the instrument being the main body which covers the internal air chambers.

The standard diatonic harmonica is designed to allow a player to play chords and melody in a single key. Because they are only designed to be played in a single key at a time, diatonic harmonicas are available in all keys. Harps labeled G through B start (on hole 1 blow) below middle C, while Harps labeled D ♭ through F ♯ start above middle C (C 4). Here is the layout for a standard diatonic harmonica, labeled C, starting on middle C (C 4). Half-Valved diatonics are made by fitting windsavers on half the lower reed in each opening: draw holes 1–6 and blow holes 7–10; this way, all these reeds can be bent down a semitone at least, although most players can easily bend down a whole tone. Alternatively, one can simply buy a factory-made valved diatonic such as the Suzuki Promaster Valved. On harps of earlier design, a single string produces only a single pitch unless it is retuned. In many cases this means such a harp can only play in one key at a time and must be retuned to play in another key. Harpers and luthiers have developed various remedies to this limitation: But seriously, if you are looking for the Best Blues Harmonica, then keep reading, and we’ll find the perfect one for your needs… The modern harmonica is thought to have been invented in Germany in the mid-1800s. The term “harp” comes from an earlier incarnation of the harmonica called an aeolian, or wind-harp. Here’s a deconstructed harmonica so you can see the inner workings. Blues Harmonica Blueprint Lesson #4: Holding

LISTEN AND WATCH

Nicholls, David (19 December 2013). Whole World of Music: A Henry Cowell Symposium. Routledge. pp. 161 ff. ISBN 978-1-134-41946-3.