I've never liked Special 20's, but I still felt compelled to own a number of them because everyone else has them. Special 20's have never *felt* right to me. They play just fine, but the experience of playing one was blah and never resonated with me (no pun intended). They don't feel right in my mouth. They don't feel right in my hands.

Based on some comments in this sub, I went and picked up a Hohner Rocket comb to swap into one of my Special 20's.

Wow. What a difference a comb makes! Swapping in a Rocket comb to convert a Special 20 into a Rocket changed everything. I love how it feels in my hands now. That part is no surprise, but the part I wasn't expecting was that it actually feels better in my mouth too. I think it's because I like the size and shape of the holes more.

The Rocket is everything I like about Lee Oskars (my harp of choice), but with a nicer comb. I just might end up being a convert.

brothers i'm trying harmonica for the first time and i want to buy diatonic harmonica

The google ai recommended me Hohner Special 20, Tombo Lee Oskar and Suzuki Manji

I want your opinion

Was watching a Jason Ricci lesson and he reminded me of the genius of Little Walter.

Good morning ever so kind harmonica community I’m dying to learn this riff if anyone can offer insight on the notes she is playing thank you

Recently G harmonica was gifted to me. And it feels easier than C and A to me. Blow bends on 8 and 9 are natural and I can even get overblow on 6 (can't do it on others at all, no matter how hard I try). The only thing I can't do I on G that I need is -2''.

I still improving my technique and etc but still G was easiest to start. Could it be just better harmonica overall? I know that high harmonicas could be tricky to play but I don't have all the keys to compare them properly. Moreover, all my harmonicas are from different manufacturers.

Anyway, I really love how G harmonica sounds. It sounds like it has some effect applied to it

Overblowing is one harmonica technique that I've never been able to accomplish. I'm not sure if I've managed to do it even once in 30+ years of playing as a hobbyist. To rectify that, I just got a Suzuki Overdrive to see if it'll help me get over the hump.

If you're not familiar, the Suzuki Overdrive is a diatonic harmonica that has 20 holes in the cover. The holes allow you to place a finger to block off the air for either a blow or a draw hole so that all of your air goes to the opposite reed.

I did manage to finally produce a few overblows with it, but holy *#&$ was it difficult. I mean the process of forcing air through a blocked chamber reminded me of mouth inflating one of those long ballons you make ballon animals out of. If you've ever tried to do that, you'll know exactly what I mean. Like, you blow so hard that your cheeks hurt, you get light headed, and you're scared you might have a stroke from blowing so hard.

I know it should get easier as I develop just the right touch, but I have a hard time envisioning it getting easy enough that I'd ever want to incorporate it into playing. On a normal harp, would you really hit this much resistance when you choke off the blow reed and get the draw reed to sound instead? Or was what I experienced more a consequence of the Overdrive having an isolated air channel for each hole?

If you play overblows and you've tried the Overdrive, how realistic is the Overdrive experience for overblowing? I mean is this just a novelty or is it truly helpful as a learning tool?

My bandleader sometimes asks me to play some solo harmonica at our gigs. This was from last Friday at a fancy pub in Concón, Chile.

I’m using an Easttop t008k 2.0 in A.

Piece of shit

Found a few excellent deals, some rare ones, and a few that I just plain can't get in the USA...

Top right: Hohner 150th Anniversary Marine Band

All 6 Tremolo harps for the "Sextet" from Hohner. Will be ordering a replacement 6 harp frame from Hohner Germany for this 6 in 1.

Hohner Vest Pocket Harp. Accurate mini Marine Band. Ready for its new comb from Andrew Zajac. Will also be swapping to AZ combs on a Piccolo and a Marine Band 365 SBS edition when I do this one.

Limited Edition Hohner MS Juke Harp

Center Column: New model: Hohner Melody Star. Weird one with raised individual holes. Solo tuned. Specifically designed for students to learn note isolation and solo melody playing.

"Hedarotten" Signature Series Special 20. Hedarotten is a musician and comedian in Japan. These are very rare in the USA and even rarer NEW.

Special 20 Breast Cancer Awareness Edition. Getting rare. My only pink harmonica.

100th Anniversary Marine Band. Gold plated.

Set of 3 keys Bushman Dinky Harmonicas. Same as Kongsheng Mini (not to be confused with the Baby Fat harmonica.

Limited Edition Hohner MS Remaster Harmonica.

Limited Edition Hohner Blue Midnight MS Harmonica.

Limited Edition (and discontinued) Hohner MS "Deuce and a Quarter." Scored two of these. Specifically references the 1958 Buick Electra simply because they ended up with 2.25mm worth of reed plate thickness (between the two plates), and I guess the Electra's V imagery worked.

Not bad. A few were a little pricey, but worth every nickel for either the collection or as a foundation for another custom build.

This is my first song on harmonica. I'm a beginner, so I'd appreciate honest feedback! What should I improve? Be brutally honest. 🎵

I was worried about trying a Dremel as a polishing tool for cover plates, but even the ol' aluminum foil and water trick wasn't having a huge effect on the rust on this old pre-war 2x32 Hohner Echo.

Started with a slightly more aggressive polishing wheel that had semi rigid mildly abrasive fingers and nu-finish. Started with the inside surfaces as a test, and to see how safe it would be to use the more aggressive wheel to remove the bulk rust.

It was very quick to remove even the thickest rust. Taking my time and working gently, I was able to buff down deep enough to remove most of the rust pitting, and i see no signs that the metal was weakened or made too thin.

After finishing the inside, I moved on to the outside surface. Time for one cover to this point: 25 minutes.

As you can see from the close up photos, there is now a satin finish to the steel. While not ideal, polishing from this point will be MUCH easier than when it had so much rust on it using most likely a Mothers brand polish. I don't have polishes at the EDM shop because we do electro polishing on our parts, and that process would almost definitely destroy the thin steel of these cover plates.

The dent situation is bittersweet, as "dammit look at those dents" has at least become "hey, I can see the dents much more clearly now."

Details and updates on the dent repair later, then the final polishing.

Thanks again to u/fomocowboy for his original post about polishing using a Dremel: https://www.reddit.com/r/harmonica/comments/1xbfxmo/i_cant_play_worth_a_damn_but_im_surgical_with_a/

I love playing rock in a classic bluesharp style^^

I'm so excited to finally be able to post this!

Over the summer, I got to work with my friend @Zahir on his movie soundtrack by recording some harmonica samples to various scenes!

more information about the movie and the soundtrack release can be found on his Instagram page at: the.real.zahir

You can see more of my videos on TikTok at BuddyGhostBlues

#BuddyGhostBlues

One of my favorite ways to practice bends is with something you already know what should sound like — a major scale.

In this lesson I use the lower octave major scale on a C harmonica to work on getting the 2 and 3 draw bends in tune.

Here’s a quick clip from the lesson.

If you want to work through the full exercise with me, the complete lesson is on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/2Px2tDuY5aA

Hey ya'll, I had posted a few weeks ago that I was considering buying a harmonica. Many of you will be happy to know that I have let my impulses guide me and I bought my first harmonica. After playing it for a few weeks I came to realise it is miles better than I give it credit for.

I'm using the book 'Harmonica for Dummies' to learn to play. However, I am finding it difficult to play the sheet music mentioned in the book. I have attched sections which I am literally unable to follow along to. I do have the recordings mentioned in the book.

I hope you guys can help me so I can overcome this bottleneck and get some valuable insights into the instrument. Thank you:)

I met Wednesday evening with an old friend, Mark Panfil, an experienced and versatile musician from Western New York State (Buffalo area) to show off each other's harmonica collections and show off my custom builds to him.

I will publish a video of Mark on my Screamer model at a later date once at least the new laser is up and running at my shop.

After we parted, I visited his YouTube channel and found several simple harmonica lessons where he uses harmonica tabs to explain a few simple songs. I immediately thought of the new players in this group and the frequent questions about where to start. The simplest answer is to start with the easier stuff, and the pace at which Mark covers the material and how he explains reading tablature is perfect for new players.

Want a few simple lessons? Check out Mark's channel. I don't see a lot of frequent updates on his channel, but if folks asked him to, I'm sure he'd post more pointers.

https://youtu.be/wsq5yeAfILs?is=ZDCQYkp8AUgqxq_x

Jouer avec un harmonica en eb majeur !

what do you think about it?

that cigarette is handmade notebook too :")

I've been learning harmonica for around a year, although my practice hasn't always been consistent. Recently, I've started making some progress and can get bends on hole 1, which feels pretty rewarding!

My current harmonica is an Easttop T10-4S (or at least that's the model I believe it is), a 10-hole diatonic in C that I bought for around ₹600–700.

Unfortunately, hole 2 draw has been giving me trouble.

Hole 2 blow sounds normal, but hole 2 draw sounds airy and seems to bend automatically towards F♯ instead of producing a clean G. I've cleaned the harmonica and checked the cover plates, but the problem persists.

The other holes I've been practising seem usable, and I'm trying to work with what I have rather than give up because of one troublesome hole.

My goal is to learn blues-rock harmonica, hopefully well enough to play with a band at a college fest someday. I've been listening to players like Will Wilde, and I'd love to develop that kind of expressive, powerful sound.

I'm based in India, and if I eventually upgrade, my budget would be under ₹2,000.

I'd love some advice on a few things:

1. Does the hole 2 draw issue sound like a reed problem, or could it be my technique or airflow?
2. Is it worth trying to fix this harmonica, or should I simply keep practising around the faulty hole for now?
3. Are there any reasonably priced harmonicas available in India under ₹2,000 that respond well to bends?
4. For someone interested in blues-rock, which models would you recommend for a future upgrade?

I'm not in a rush to replace my current harmonica. I'd just like to understand my options and make progress with the instrument I have.

Thanks!

EDIT: Cant seem to post it here so uploaded it in drive here's the link

Cómo adapto una canción que vi en una armónica diatonica en do en una armónica tremolo en do

So, I've had this thing in my possession for a while (not an interesting story), it's some kind of toy harmonica, with 16 square holes (it makes different sounds depending on if you breathe in or out, if that helps).

My question is if should I bother with it? Can you actually learn to play this so it sounds somewhat good or is it just a toy noise machine that makes parents regret buying it? What kind of harmonica is it? If it's a "legit" harmonica, where do you suggest I start with my learning?

I've never learned an instrument before, so I understand harmonica might be a bad choice for a first timer, but I like this thing for it's carrying convenience. I wouldn't mind goofing off on it, but only if I knew there's some possibility of it sounding good some day and not a waste of time.

Could I also paint it with acrylic paint, wanna larp being pro.

Basically yeah, just looking for an underrated wooden combed harps. Getting pretty sick of hearing about marine bands all the time like it's some holy grail or something. Curious to see what other hidden wooden combed harps out there.