How to Buy a Blues Harp

There are many blues harps on the market to choose from.

A blues harp, or harmonica, is a relatively inexpensive and portable mouth organ. Their reeds and special woody sound brings a unique and special feel to blues music, and whether you want to make music alone or with a band, there are blues harps that will fit your budget, personality and lifestyle. With a few key considerations, you'll be wailing out those warm, smoky tones on one of these little silver pocket harps in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Music store (online or brick-and-mortar)

Instructions

Skill Level

1. 

   Consider your skill level. If you're a beginner and can't read music, choose a diatonic harmonica. Diatonic harmonicas have 10 holes and are individually tuned to a specific musical key so they can make a beginner sound good fast. Most blues players use the diatonic harmonica and learn how to bend notes, creating that bluesy sound. If you're skilled at reading musical notation, a chromatic harmonica, one with all the notes in a scale might be a good solution for you, but it is not as easy to bend notes.

2. 

   There are lots of different styles of harmonicas to choose from.

   Consider how much money you want to spend on your harmonica. Harmonicas are less expensive than many other musical instruments, but the price can vary. By law, you cannot try a harmonica in the store before you purchase it. You will have to take a leap of faith and buy then try a few blues harps before you commit to a certain brand. Realistically, you can start your collection for $15 to $60. Over time, you will find out which ones fit your mouth best and produce your favorite sounds. Add more harmonicas to your collection as you grow in musical ability.

3. 

   Decide whether you want a to buy a newer or older brand of harp. According to Harmonica.com, the Hohner 560/20 Special Marine Band Harmonica is a musician's "workhorse." There are hundreds of types to choose from in the Hohner brand line. Other brand-name harmonica makers are Lee Oskar, Huang and Suzuki, to mention a few.

4. Choose one or more harmonicas to suit the key or keys you will be playing in. If you're just starting out, you might just want to pick up one harmonica in the key of C to play as you learn since it plays in the mid-range, according to Harmonica.com. Many blues songs are performed in the key of A, so you might want to pick up a harp in that key too. Later, when you're playing with a band, you'll need a collection of harmonicas to suit the key the song is performing in.

5. Replace your harmonica when the reeds become full of spit and sweat and get funky, since replacement reeds are often as much as the cost of a new harmonica.

References

• JT30: What Brand Harp to Buy
• Modern Blues Harmonica with Adam Gussow
• Harmonica Lessons: Harmonica Types
• Harmonica: What Harmonica to Buy
• Harmonica Instruction: Harmonica Playing General Info

Resources

• Blues Harp: A website devoted to the history and lore of blues harmonica music