13 replies to this topic

[joeythur]

I want to by my brother in law his first harmonica. He plays the ppiano and the guitar....Mostly Rock, Blues. What key would be ideal for him??

[Steam McQueen]

joeythur said:

What key would be ideal for him??

I'd say kick him in the balls ... LOL!

Quote

It's K-K-K-Ken c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me.

Jus' ribbin' ... serious answers to follow ... but you have to make your 2nd post 1st!

Hi Joey! Does your brother-in-law like The Blues Brothers?

Joey ... have you ever been in a Turkish prison?

Joey ?

:D

[Ghostbluesman]

Joey...welcome.......I would suggest the key of either C or D, to start with...read up on some of the other threads in this section; it will give you the "whys" and "wherefores" of using those keys...
Rob

[FatJim]

If he's going to use any kind of instruction book then almost all of them use a C harp (The Jerry Portnoy instructional CDs are the exception - they use an A harp). If he's going to teach himself, then it doesn't really matter. C really is a good beginners key.

[mad-wolfie]

a lot of blues songs that use the harmonica are in the key of B, C, D or E-flat. The intro on Flip-flop-fly seems to be played on an E-flat, yet the song seems to be in the key of B. She caught the Katy is definately performed in Bb. I own just the 1 harmonica & mine is an E-flat & i have no problems doing some improv playing to 99% of the blues brothers reportoire.

to give you some idea...

Can't turn you loose = C
Everybody needs somebody = C
Expressway to your heart = Gb
Flip Flop Fly = Bb (although the harp seems to be in the key of E)
Funky Nassau = Bm
Riders in the sky = Am (remember the quote "A, good country key")
Gimme some Lovin' = E
Going back to Miami = G
Jailhouse Rock = D
John the Revelator = Gm
Minnie the Moocher = Em
New Orleans = C
Rawhide = Am (obviously A is a good country key)
Riot in Cell Block number 9 = Cm
Rubber Biscuit = F (F for f...laming difficult)
Shake a Tailfeather = D
She caught the Katy = Bb
Soul Man = E
Sweet Home Chicago = E
Who's Making love? = F

that should be enough for now...

[Dauber]

BTW -- mad-wolfie is dead-on accurate with those keys for all those songs, BUT...most blues is done "cross-harp," which means you actually play in the DRAW key, not the BLOW key.

Case in point, let's use "Sweet Home Chicago," which m-w correctly says is in the key of E. Now, you CAN use an E harp on that, but it will be a bit difficult because an E-harp plays in the key of E when you blow, but the key of B when you draw. And the thing is, SHC has mainly E chords and A chords (as do most 12-bar blues songs) -- basically, the I chord and the IV chord....so you'll most likely want to play this with an A harp, which plays in the key of A when you draw, E when you blow. Also, E-harps are very high-pitched, so you won't get good lows on it -- and also, Elwood obviously uses an A harp on it...

So...what you'll want to do is think of what key the song is in, then figure out what the IV chord in the song is (basically, count four whole-steps up. "Sweet Home Chicago", for example, is in E, so count: E, F#, G#, A. That fourth note is the harp you want), and use a harp that's in THAT key. Another example, but not a Blues Brothers tune -- "Sad Hours" by Little Walter Jacobs. Great instrumental to learn on harp -- the bass line is unique, and the harp parts are great ways to practice note-bending and, to a smaller extent, tongue-blocking. It's a very typical 12-bar blues tune, and it's in the key of F. Now, the ideal harp to use with that tune, let's count, starting with the blow key: F, G, A, B-flat: the fourth note in the count is B-flat, so that'll be the harp you want. In fact, when I travel, the B-flat harp is the one I always take with me for practice because there are a lot of tunes that use it, and it's also a close enough substitute for songs that are in E...

Having said all that...I was lucky enough to take a blues harp class taught by Joe Filisko, who's kind of a living legend in the harmonica world (a YOUNG one, he's maybe forty years old if that)...during the lecture in the first of his classes I attended, he encouraged trying to play using a harp that you normally wouldn't just for self-discipline. For example, if you normally WOULD use an A harp for "Sweet Home Chicago" (which is in E), try playing with an E harp, or perhaps even a B harp. The reason -- if you play "cross-harp," the advantage is that it's almost impossible to play a bad note, but if you play with another harp, you'll notice there ARE bad notes, and your job is to avoid them...

[Harper-Chris]

...Dauber... perfect!!!

[joelpietersen]

if it's his first it would be best to use either key of C or D.

[Atomic_Rat]

I started out in the key of 'C', but for general playing I like a 'G' pipe.

[Dean Heuke]

No no no, I would say Key A and C, this is best, because A for Blues-Feeling and C for traditional-Feeling!!!!

[harmonicatunes]

A C harmonica is the bets bet for starting out, as most of the instruction books will assume that you have one. A C harmonica is most commonly used for blues in G, which comes along all the time.

Once you get started, you will also be needing harmonicas in A, D, F and G (in that order).

[BluesMystro]

C is what I would suggest. I learned on a C and it was pretty easy.

[mad-wolfie]

BluesMystro said:

C is what I would suggest. I learned on a C and it was pretty easy.

with my "being realistic" head on, i'd say the 1st harp to buy is a cheap one.. OK you can buy harps from that famous auction site etc for a few pence, but personally i'd go to a music shop to see what he has & buy the cheapest "proper" harp you can... OTHERWISE you may find you buy a toy one from the auction or one that couldn't hold a tune in a bucket.

When i bought my 1st harp i did exactly that (ebay was not thought of then & the web was still just being weaved), walked into a local friendly music shop & asked what he had available.. i then bought the cheapest - i could of bought an expensive one, but realised i'd waste my money if i put it in a cupboard & forgot about it in a few weeks. The one i bought was a key of D, however i didn't care what key it was, so long as i blew in one end & noise came out the other because at the end of the day it was only to learn & mess around on.

[Cropper Classic]

I'm feeling ginger. I think I will go buy a new "A" harp today.