Beginner Chromatic Harmonica

Hi, and thanks for asking.

Ten-hole chromatics come in a few versions.

• Some are solo-tuned, like the bigger chromatics, with just the top two holes missing from the high octave.
• However, some come tuned just like a diatonic, but with a slide. I'd avoid those if you really want to learn chromatic as its own instrument.
• And some come unvalved. Valving isn't needed in diatonics, but chromatics will leave you gasping from air leakage if they don't have windsaver valves. Valves are tiny plastic strips mounted over a reed's slot on the opposite side of the reedplate from the reed itself. When you play a blow note, the inside valve shuts off access tothe draw reed, directing all air to the blow reed. And when you play a draw note, the outside valve gets pulled shut to close off the blow nreed and direct all the air to the draw noteed. Some players pull off the outside valves to make the draw notes more like diatonics on bent notes (wlthough a valved not will actually bend farther than an unvalved on, but with less of that ballsy sound).

So, look for a valved, solo-tuned 10-hole if you decide to go that route. While 10-hole chromatics lack some top notes (which you may not miss anyway), they're inherently more airtight than bigger chromatics (less surface area to leak) and are easier to cup in your hands.

And having your first chromatic be small enough not to overwhelm you is actually a good thing. You get a 16-hole monster in your lips after playing a 10-hole diatonic and you can feel like you're in the middle of the Pacific floating on a log with no land in sight. You can work your way up to that magnificent instrument, but starting with a 10-hole or 12-hole makes it far less daunting.

If you're going for a 12-hole, I'd recommend either a CX-12, Suzuki SCX-48 or an Easttop 12-hole. Both Suzuki and Easttop are making high quality chromatics at reasonable prices with long-life phosphor bronze reeds. You can get Easttop harmonicas from Danny G at newharmonica.com. Danny is a chromatic specialist and a good guy.

The CX-12 is another great choice with the classic Hohner sound, and it's easy to take apart and clean, with the cleverest design in the last century. It comes in several keys and three versions. The black version is the least expensive and is just fine. You can read a review of its pricier cousin, the CX-12 Jazz (same guts, different outer shell) at http://archive.harmonicasessions.com/dec09/Yerxa.html

Why am I not big on the Discovery? In two words, puny sound. The idea behind the Discovery was to take the reedplates from the classic wood-bodied Hohner 270 and put them in a modern plastic comb and mouthpiece with a profile that fits easily in the mouth. Great idea, but I find that those same reedplates play and sound much better with the traditional 270 comb, muthpiece, and slider. There's somethig in the Discovery that makes it feel hard to move air through and small in sound.