Re: [Harp-L] Summing Up the Advice

[Cara Cooke <cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx>]

You can do more than just blat or honk with a diatonic, but it will
take practice, time, knowledge, and skill.  I have played more
bluegrass and jazz on my diatonics than I have my chromatics.  The
chromatic has a learning curve, too -- a serious one.  Unless you buy
one in each key (12 of them) or one in each key you need (probably 4
to 8 of them), you will have to learn the scales and modes on the
chromatic -- how they lay and feel.  There will be a heck of a lot of
practice before you are able to play with anyone or feel confident in
your playing.

If you are only going to play a C harmonica in any case and are not
dependent on the need to play with others, then I would work with both
types of harmonicas, starting with the diatonic, since its scale is
the basis for the chromatic before using the slide and many of the
same techniques apply to the chromatic.  It is also easier and cheaper
to keep the diatonic with you at all times so that it is available
whenever you have five minutes free to work on your harmonica.  If you
blow a reed while you are learning, you can just get another one from
your local store.

If you are going to play with other musicians who will be playing in
other keys, a single chromatic may find you more frustration than
solution.  However, it is worth learning in the long run.  But once
you learn a song and its scale pattern on the harmonica, it can be
very hard on you to change keys for a singer or another group of
musicians, where a diatonic player would simply pick up the
appropriate harmonica and play.

The choice is yours.  It isn't just about cost or availability of
notes.  It is personal -- what you want to do and how you want to get
it done.  If you have not learned about positions and bending yet, try
the diatonic and put your learning time in.  Once on the chromatic,
the bending technique will give you a little more info and control on
attack, even if you never actually bend a note, and the info on
positions and the scale/mode notes will help you navigate when the
keys change or a new song is popped out at you.  And, if all else
fails, you will still have a few diatonics to cover you if you need
them.

If you are going to play classical music, then you will need to learn
to read with the chromatic, and you should go visit Robert Bonfiglio
and take lessons while he is offering.  Classical music is best played
on a chromatic, even though I have figured a few arrangements out for
the diatonic that have proven to be fun.

If you are not completely sure what you want to do, start with a
diatonic and work your way up.  There are no shortcuts to skill and
knowledge.  You just need to learn and practice, whichever instrument
you play.  The diatonic can easily lead to the chromatic, but the
chromatic does not lead well to the diatonic.

Visit my site if you want to hear a little of what I do with the diatonic.

Cara Cooke
www.cyberharp.isonfire.com



On 4/14/05, Rooty Baegga <rootybaegga@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I want to make sure I understand all the advice given me, so please correct
> me if I go wrong:
> 
> If I want to blat like Bob Dylan and Neil Young, or honk some blues like
> Sonny Terry or Charlie Musselwhite, then a diatonic is for me.  If a
> diatonic is for me, a $20 Horner Special 20 or a Golden Melody, both in C,
> are the best with which to start.
> 
> If I am more interested in playing melodies, which may or may not include
> jazz or Peg O' My Heart, and if I don't want to spend time looking for
> notes that aren't there, then a chromatic is the better choice.
> 
> Having weighed all this advice carefully, as well as my musical
> preferences, I believe I should move into the chromatic world.  Which is a
> shame, because diatonic had price on its side.
> 
> Therefore, what are the recommendations for chromatic harmonicas for a newbie?
> 
> Putting the cart before the horse: I have already decided which song I wish
> to master on harmonica and I don't even have a harmonica yet.  Is that the
> official definition of hubris?
> 
> =========================================
> Rooty Baegga
> 
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