Key of F

The regular (I think of is as high) F-harp is indeed high-pitched and bright sounding, especially when played with a cupped mic in amplified harp manner. For this reason, some amplified players tend to avoid anything higher than a D-harp. Meanwhile, the greater availability nowadays of low-pitched harps - not only Low F but also double-low F - has captured the imaginations of many players. While these harps put out less volume than their higher-pitched counterparts, amplification easily solves that problem.

Yet, if you listen to basically acoustic players such as Sonny Boy II and also Sonny Boy I, they both used high F harps extensively. Little Walter occasionally did, too ("It Ain't Right" comes to mind) as did Junior Wells during the 1960s. John Mayall had his biggest hit (1969-70) using a high F# harp ("Room to Move" - which was based on Sonny Boy II's "One Way Out," played on a High F). And Howard Levy, who normally avoids high harps, used a high G to acommpany Kenny Loggins live on "Footloose" - he commented that it just happened to be the right harp for the song (mid-1990s).

Any studies that you learn on one key of harp will adapt to another key – in most cases fairly easily, although bends on the extremes of pitch may be problematic, particularly the low holes on low keys, and the high holes on high keys). So experiment with high keys and low keys, and choose what you find to be suitable.

The Low C that Sonny Boy played was either a 12-hole Marine Band 364 or a 14-hole Marine Band 365. These are larger overal than the standard marine Band and have a red wooden comb. They come in Low C, Low D, and regular G. I think they've been avilable for a very, very, long time.

Interestingly, during the 1960s in the UK, the 10-hole Marine Band was known as the Echo Super Vamper, while the 364 was known as the Echo Vamper. This 12-hole model was available in all 12 keys, including low keys. John Mayall, for instance, used an Echo Vamper in Low F for his Sonny Boy tribute tune "I Heard Sonny Boy Blow" in the mid-'60s. These low keys were not availble in North America, however.

Low keys seem to have become widely available in the 1980s, as Low F started to show up, followed by more low keys in the 10-hole size. Until the introduction of the Thunderbird model, Hohner made several models down to Low D, including the MS-series, Marine Band, and Special 20. Once they came out with the $$$ Thunderbird, those low keys went away. However, Suzuki and Seydel have picked up the market for mid-priced low key harps.