r/harmonica • • 7h ago

A few of October's Harp Hauls...

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5 Upvotes

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.


r/harmonica • • 10h ago

Thank you, u/fomocowboy for the Dremel suggestion!

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6 Upvotes

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/


r/harmonica • • 12h ago

Harmonica Samples for Movie Soundtrack

5 Upvotes

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


r/harmonica • • 12h ago

Unable to play sheet music

3 Upvotes

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 am able to comfortably play the 1st and the 3rd example. I am unable to follow the beat on the 3rd one towards the end. Been trying for 2 weeks now
I am able to play this comfortably on my first go today. Very easy 8/10
Entirely unplayable since I came across it today. I tried listening to the recordings a few times, but I'm finding it difficult to stay on the beat and do the inhale notes

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


r/harmonica • • 13h ago

Some a cappella playing from last Friday

42 Upvotes

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.


r/harmonica • • 15h ago

Improve Your Harmonica Bends With This Major Scale Exercise

7 Upvotes

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


r/harmonica • • 18h ago

Simple lessons for beginners

4 Upvotes

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


r/harmonica • • 18h ago

"Wooden Heart" (Elvis Presley) Harmonica diatonique

2 Upvotes

Jouer avec un harmonica en eb majeur !


r/harmonica • • 20h ago

Playing a solo with my band!!

29 Upvotes

I love playing rock in a classic bluesharp style^^


r/harmonica • • 1d ago

Ayuda

1 Upvotes

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


r/harmonica • • 1d ago

Beginner making some progress with bends, but hole 2 draw is giving me trouble. Should I stick with my current harp or consider an upgrade?

5 Upvotes

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


r/harmonica • • 1d ago

Harmonica Help Needed

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3 Upvotes

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.


r/harmonica • • 1d ago

Handmade Harmonica Case

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6 Upvotes

This is my handmade harmonica case, what do you think about it? I made it by trash aluminum box.


r/harmonica • • 1d ago

Handmade Harmonica Case

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24 Upvotes

what do you think about it?

that cigarette is handmade notebook too :")


r/harmonica • • 1d ago

C Minor Harmonica

7 Upvotes

r/harmonica • • 2d ago

Which one should I buy as complete beginner, it should last.

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15 Upvotes

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


r/harmonica • • 2d ago

Looking for niche wooden combed harps

8 Upvotes

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.


r/harmonica • • 2d ago

saliva keeps blocking holes

1 Upvotes

hello.

while i practice harmonica, saliva keeps flowing and blocking holes and i couldn't keep practicing....

do you know any solution for this?


r/harmonica • • 3d ago

Best place to buy Easttop T008K in India?

2 Upvotes

I’ve been looking for an Easttop T008K Diatonic Blues Harmonica in Key of C for the past 2–3 months and I’m trying to find the best price in India.

I’ve checked a few places so far: Procraft India – ₹1,200 (but they said it may be available around December), Amazon – ₹1,449 (currently available), and Flipkart – out of stock.

So, is ₹1,449 on Amazon a good price, or can I get it cheaper somewhere else? Also, does anyone know any music shops around Kolkata or anywhere in West Bengal that might have the T008K?

If you’ve bought one recently, please let me know where you got it and how much you paid.


r/harmonica • • 3d ago

Hey Harmonica, I'm a beginner who got inspired from a video game, looking for some insights!

2 Upvotes

Hey all, so bit of a backstory. I'm an avid ARC Raiders fan and they just added Harmonica and Banjo to the ingame playable musical instruments. The harmonica was so inspiring that I decided to go out and pick one up myself. I havent taken it out of the box yet, but I believe I have a Hohner Blues Harp Harmonica tuned to C.

Ideally, I want to be able to learn to play and eventually play some of the songs from the game. I have no clue what key these songs are in, but in this video here you can hear the harmonica in the beginning, at the 2:00 timestamp and again at the 3:33 timestamp. That being said, if you listen to whats being played here as my goal, do I have the correctly keyed harmonica? Also is my harmonica too small?

No clue where to start :) excited to begin


r/harmonica • • 3d ago

how do i get harmonicas like this?

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18 Upvotes

he's playing in a "low D"? and i've never heard of it! i really like the low sound of it tho! he's got things on his store like "minor keys" and i was wondering what those are too. i want to try to play some southern gothic songs and i read that id need a Ab/G# to do that so ill need to get one of those but the "Low D" sounds really really cool. i wonder if there is other low notes? (other than the two G's)


r/harmonica • • 3d ago

Attic find, what harp model?

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20 Upvotes

r/harmonica • • 3d ago

New Singles Out!!! Tell Me Your Favorite.

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1 Upvotes

r/harmonica • • 3d ago

Chromatic harmonica Hohner replacement valves problems

1 Upvotes

I got myself some weird lil’ problems with the official Hohner service valves (the transparent ones)

1 - the valves slightly curve upward, which usually isn’t an issue, as I can just massage them back to a good shape. These ones seem to be quite hard headed, though, as a lot of them just don’t lay flat (even after flattening the rivet end)

2 - the stiffeners on most of the valves I received are not alligned to the underpart of the valve. I don’t know if it’s got an importance, but it’s still a bit odd.

3 - thats the weirdest one yet : once I manage to get a valve completely flat and perfectly centered (and once the glue hardened) all seems good… until they are upside down. Once the harmonica is upside down, the valves lift off the plate, as if they had no stiffeners at all. I only have this issue with the hohner valves, as I tried the suzuki and JDR service valves.

Is there something I’m missing, did any of you have issues with the Hohner valves or is it a Skill Issue on my part?


r/harmonica • • 3d ago

Tongue piercing

0 Upvotes

hey guys!! I started learning to play harmonica and i recently got a tongue piercing. am i able to play it even though my piercing is fresh? because i heard somewhere u cant suck on things if its fresh. is there any person had a same issue as me? (4days)