A few questions
1) I am just starting but want to use a good brand harmonica. Intrested in bends and soulful playing. What is the best for blues/rock/jazz. I don't think I'll be playing any country.
2) I have purchased a few harmonicas on ebay. It seems that those and the new one I bought from the store have a really weak, hard to play 2 draw. I tried adjusting the reed. Are all harmonicas like that? Why is it not as solid as the 3 blow? (Are there some brands that have eliminated this problem?)
3) Wondering if I should try chromatic harmonica. My background is a musican for almost 50 years. I play the keyboards, sax, and flute. Mostly rock and jazz and some clasical. I want the harp for the rock band but think the chromatic might be great for jazz. Years ago I heard someone playing the chromatic and doing sax riffs. What are your thoughts of diatonic verses chromatic.
4) I was struggling with bends and after watching your lessons I got the 1 draw bend so easy. I got a little of the 2 and 3 draws as well. I got the higher blow bends to work right away too. There is a middle section that is not bending 4,5, & 6. The other bends are easy but I can't seem to find the draw bends in the middle. I can get it a little but if feels like I'm squeezing my lips down a bit. What do you suggest?
i love the site and have learned so much already. Thanks for explaining everything so well. I teach music also and can appreciate a good teacher.
Welcome to the site bobselvin. Answers below...
1) I recommend the Hohner Crossover... it's a great instrument.
2) This is a common issue for new players. You'll find the answer to this on the first video on this page: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq
3) Jazz is generally the world of the chromatic harmonica. I would follow your interest at first... which instrument grabs your attention the most. The techniques you'll learn on one will help the other, so that's a plus. The diatonic is known for its bending capability and chording. The chromatic is known for it's ability to play any note, at any range of the harmonica, and in the blues world, its powerful sound with tongue blocking, specifically the slaps, flutters, pulls, fake octaves and octaves. Which one first?... that's up to you. At BluesHarmonica.com I generally have students do the first two tongue blocking studies before I show them the chromatic.
4) This is a challenging area for some... it's the "ch" area of the mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge. If the roof of our mouth were flat it would make bending in that range much easier. But, since it's not, you'll need to spend a lot of time focusing on your upward movement of your tongue to the roof of your mouth (not so much moving your tongue back), specifically in the area of "sh" or "ch." Best wishes with this... it takes time, but you'll get it.
Thank you for your kind words, it means a lot. Best wishes on your studies.