There are many different diatonic scales, but probably the most familiar one in western culture is the major scale, the one many of us learned as children in school. They are arranged in such a way that only the middle octave contains a complete eightnote scale. Guitar man demonstrates how to play a basic harmonica blues scale and how to bend a note on a harmonica. A diatonic scale is constructed from a mix of whole and half steps in a contrary way to chromatic scales which are constructed only by half steps below, a. Major diatonic harps are produced by several manufacturers using various names such as blues harp, marine band, golden melody. Because these harmonicas are tuned to a single key ignoring the possibility of playing in secondthirdetc positions, most players will require more than one, in order to be able to play a variety of songs with other. Playing chords with the harmonica musicians webstore. A complete reference for the diatonic harmonica, including techniques and theory. Rename and organize your music collection in a few clicks. The c harmonica book is packed with information about chords, arpeggios, modes, positions, scales, bends, overbends and basic music theory unique to the 10hole c major diatonic harp.
Originally it was meant to play folk music but with special techniques called bends and overbends you can play a full chromatic scale on the diatonic harmonica and thus use it to play jazz. The harmonica, also known as a french harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, american folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. Pentatonic scales are fivenote scales that sound good over just about any kind of music. Here are some scales you can play on a diatonic harp. Most professionals primarily play diatonic harmonica.
The best approach i have found is to experiment with playing both straight and cross harp, as well as 3rd position. Some scales, including pentatonic and wholetone scales, are not diatonic. The complete 10hole diatonic harmonica series is the definitive music reference guide that resolves those dilemmas and more. Spice up your songs with the soulful sounds of the lee oskar harmonica system. Diatonic harmonica defined the standard 10hole diatonic harmonicas come in all 12 keys of music and allow you to play a complete 7note scale of the key of the harmonica. This articles shows the notes on a harmonica, and the reasoning behind their layout. C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a b a a b d g b d f g b b b e b b d g b d f a b d f a blow v c e g c e g c e g c draw v d 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 b d 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 e 1 2 3. Today were going to take a look at the a major diatonic scale. Theyre in seven different keys and just with blow and draw bends no overblowsoverdraws. Now these arent all the scales, but just the ones i figured out so far. Play along with simple songs in your head and you will discover how easily you play it. There is a definitive reference guide available for harmonicas in each and every key.
Try to think of the minor scale and the major scale as just different positions to play the same notes this may seem strange, but if you look at it, the same notes are present in both scales. The diatonic harmonica is a single voice instrument and usually has 10 channels, each with one blow and one draw note. In music theory, a diatonic scale is a heptatonic scale that includes five whole steps whole tones and two half steps in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps, depending on their position in the scale. A scale is an ascending sequence of musical tones or pitches a diatonic scale is a sequence of eight tones spanning an octave as explained in the next section. The blues scale is three blow, three blow, three inhale or suck, four blow, four suck, five suck and six blow. Learn harmonica onlinechromatic harmonicablues harp. Get familiar with the three different breath patterns. Lee oskar harmonicas selection guide for major diatonic. How to play the diatonic harmonica in the key of c. Harmonica players male jazz howard levy, blues harp. Levy is one of the most influential players of the last 20 years.
Diatonic the standard 10hole major diatonic harmonicas come in all 12 keys of music and allow you to play a complete 7note major scale of the key of the harmonica. Im interested in buying a diatonic harmonica, specifically to one day get to do some like this with practice. For those who are uncertain where to begin studying music theory, diatonic scales are an ideal starting spot. Scales with a major character that are built into a c harmonica are.
This note layout is called the richter tuning, is used for most harmonicas and is shown below. If youve been following along with the lessons, then weve already covered a few different scales, including the pentatonic minor scale, and the diatonic minor scale. A diatonic scale is constructed from a mix of whole and half steps in a contrary way to chromatic scales which are constructed only by half steps. This app also supports the nonstandard tunings of natural minor, country, paddy. We are closed for ve holiday all orders will be dispatched on monday. Harmonica wall chart wall chart mel bay publications. Playing the blues scale now that you can bend notes the next thing we should look at is the blues scale. The valved diatonic is one of the most common ways of playing chromatic scales on diatonic harmonicas. Where can i find diatonic harmonicas notes for all the. To understand what is meant by a key of c harmonica, a very small amount of music theory will help. And because they use fewer notes than the standard 7note scales, pentatonics make it easier to.
Blues scale practice for diatonic harmonica warm up by trying the following with bends if possible. Choose the key of the song and your preferred position, and this app will tell you which diatonic harp to pick up, along with where all of the relevant notes are for. In this first lesson of the two, we will learn the position and the first four chords. Three main types of harmonica around today not counting orchestral stuff. You can also access our site through your mobile phone. Most professionals are predominantly diatonic players. Hold the harmonica with one hand at each end, with the numbers facing you. Major diatonic chords i, ii, iii, and iv harmony studybass. Though you may find a certain key and position works for this song, if youd prefer to play a classical style i highly recommend going chromatic. This ground breaking series unlocks the musical power of the 10hole major diatonic harmonica. Harmonica types defined harmonica lessons official site. A powerful featurerich id3 tag editor for music files in different formats.
One key at a time, each is designed to present detailed musical i. Depending on the country, diatonic harmonica may mean either the tremolo harmonica in east asia or blues harp. The most common harmonica key is c, the notes on a c harmonica are shown below. Major diatonic harmonica for blues folk rock pop country lee.
For example, c dorian would be the key of bb major because c is the second note of a bb major scale, or c mixolydian would be the key of f major because c is the 5th note of a f major scale. Chords come in a wide variety of types based on the specific notes they. Its fairly easy to learn, but much harder to apply. Lee oskar 1910 diatonic 1910, 1910n, 1910h, 1910mm includes free usa shipping hohner mini harmonica key of c 38c includes free usa shipping hohner crossover marine band crossover m2009 with free usa shipping. In the diagram blow means the note when blowing into a hole, draw means the note when breathing in. With a 10 hole diatonic harmonica, such as the seydel soloist, session, favorite and 1847 models, hohner marine band, blues harp, special 20 and xb40, lee oskar major diatonic, suzuki bluesmaster, promaster, folkmaster, hering blues, huang star performers, etc. One natural note b has to be lowered one semitone to b. The two basic types of harmonica are the diatonic harmonica and the chromatic harmonica.
Also pointing people to the online forum for the ch. Harmonica wall chart wall chart mel bay publications, inc. Howard levy website for jazz diatonic harmonica monster howard levy, plenty of great information at this site, including samples, transcriptions of howards solos, etc. If you narrow your theoretical scope down to melody and modes essentially lead guitar, diatonic scale guitar theory becomes a more significant cornerstone. Aug 03, 2016 modes of the major scale how are we playing in different keys on the same harmonica. Supply your music with information about titles, artists, albums, genres, with lyrics and album art. Pick any unbent note from holes 4, 5 or 6 blow or draw. You can play the blues scale with any g instrument. The diatonic scale is the only seven note scale that has just one tritone augmented fourthdiminished fifth. Major diatonic harps are produced by several manufacturers using various names such as blues harp, marine band, golden melody, big river, special 20, pro harp, folk master, star performer, etc.
Many beginning players are confused about harmonica notes, particularly since some of them appear to be missing. Actually the diatonic is less than 12 notes, but its possible to play all 12 notes chromatic scale with over blows and bends, etc. Diatonic harmonica 10 hole blues harp with case, polishing cloth, instruction, key of c by everjoys in stock. Some instruments, such as the harmonica, harp, and glockenspiel, are available in both diatonic and chromatic versions although it is possible to play chromatic notes on a diatonic harmonica, they require extended embouchure techniques, and some chromatic notes are only usable by advanced players. Play that notes pentatonic scale either upwards or downwards or in both directions. The diatonic harmonica also called blues harp or mouth organ is the most popular harmonica. Harmonica key finder gives you a map of all the notes on the harmonica, including overblows and overbends for any key. Recommendations for buying harmonicas blues harmonica. The key of the harmonica is which scale the harmonica is tuned to. Strictly speaking, diatonic denotes any harmonica designed to play in a single keythough the standard richtertuned harmonica diatonic can play other keys by forcing its reeds to play tones that are not part of its basic scale. Additional notes from outside the scale can be acquired by bending certain draw inhale and blow exhale notes.
The diatonic scale and the melodic scale are the only scales which have just two types of second the major second and minor second represented by a whole tone and a semitone, respectively. Chords are most often played as accompaniment to other instruments. This is just a series of seven notes which help the harmonica sound bluesy, so playing this scale over and over is excellent training. They both share the same notes they just have a different tonic the note you start and end on. Many additional notes from outside the major scale can be acquired by bending certain draw inhale and blow exhale notes. These pages over almost everything about the diatonic harmonica, from beginning tips to advanced techniques, with harprelated music theory, indepth discussions and sample sound clips of dozens of different techniques. Modes of the major scale how are we playing in different keys on the same harmonica. Shop for the latest harmonica, accessories and books. If you havent already read how to play six keys on a diatonic harmonica without overblows using pentatonic scales i recommend you do so now. Mar, 2009 a brief explanation of why you should buy a chromatic harmonica, especially if you already play diatonic.
For instance, a piano player might play a series of chords, called a chord progression, while a guitar player plays a solo over those chords. Diatonic, in music, any stepwise arrangement of the seven natural pitches scale degrees forming an octave without altering the established pattern of a key or modein particular, the major and natural minor scales. You will need a c harmonica and we are playing in 2nd position in the key of g. The accuracy of these estimates has been measured across multiple large data sets and compared to several prominent commercial key and bpm detection algorithms. The major diatonic is an important addition to your collection of scale patterns, because it fills in another section of the fretboard for you. Chromatic harmonicas are also tuned to a major scale, but the slide mechanism. Student guide for solotuned harmonica part i diatonic. The complete diatonic scale can be played in the second octave, but in the first and third octaves, some of the notes are missing. This page will help you to find the perfect harmonica for your style. A diatonic is a ten hole harmonica tuned to the major scale of the key its in diatonic basically means that its in one key like c or. How to play a basic harmonica blues scale harmonica. Then try the following go crazy insert bendsextra noteschords wherever desired. All the notes of the c major scale are built into a charp f. Learn to play harmonicablues harp this page offers a chart of harmonica keys.
The complete diatonic scale can be played in the second octave, but in the. The harmonica company harmonica store for hohner, suzuki. On a richter tuned harmonica, these are the notes of the major scale. A chart is available on the positions chart page for determining the 3rd position key on the.
Pentatonic scales wildflower harmonica instruction. How to play the blues scale in 2nd position on harmonica hello and welcome to this weeks harmonica lesson which is a short but really important one how to play the blues scale. A cmajor diatonic harmonica is tuned to the cmajor scale. G is the most popular key for playing a c harmonica, even more popular than c. Answers to ten of the most frequently asked questions pdfdownload. Note that this is all in the key of c major but can be transposed to all 12 keys. Straight harp is sticking to the harp in the key the music is in and cross harp is playing the harp that is 4 keys from the key the. Lee oskar quickguide updated20pg lee oskar harmonicas. Scale diatonic 1,2,3,5,6 fullth pattern root note a guitar tuning. Therefore, they share the same breath patterns on the diatonic harmonica. It is basically a small piano with the black keys removed and a few of the white keys as well. There are seven of them, and together theyre called the modes of the major scale.
They are very often used as a pair, especially when applied to contrasting features of the common practice music of the period 1600. Although the chromatic is extremely versatile, the harmonica which is predominantly used in blues, rock, country, folk, etc. You can use the layout generator to produce layouts for any key, scale. Answers to ten of the most frequently asked questions pdf download. Ok, so now you know the type of harmonica you need, another thing to decide is what key to choose. Diatonic jazz harmonica players harmonica, blues harp. Harmonica tuner is a simple app that shows what notes are you playing on your diatonic harmonica.
Rock, country, blues, folk, and world music all make extensive use of pentatonic sounds. There are many types of harmonica, including diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, octave, orchestral, and bass versions. Mel bay a reference chart for the 10hole major diatonic harmonica and chromatic harmonica. A diatonic scale is not a specific scale, but rather a way a scale or a chord for that matter is constructed. Harmonicas come in a variety of keys click here for more about harmonica keys and note names. Jul 18, 2015 the best approach i have found is to experiment with playing both straight and cross harp, as well as 3rd position. A harmonica is played by using the mouth lips and tongue to direct air. Ive been figuring this out, because i couldnt really find an overview of all the scales for diatonic. Choose the key of the song and your preferred position, and this app will tell you which diatonic harp to pick up, along with where all of the relevant notes are for blues, major or minor songs. Our new desktop experience was built to be your music destination. And because they use fewer notes than the standard 7note scales, pentatonics make it easier to play in multiple keys on one harmonica. Some scales, including pentatonic and wholetone scales, are not diatonic because they do not include the seven degrees in medieval and renaissance music, eight church. The diatonic is mostly used for blues, folk, rock there are two main types of harmonicas sometimes called harps, the chromatic harmonica and diatonic harmonica. In the next two lessons we will learn to play all seven diatonic chords of the major scale in a single fourfret position.
Oct 16, 2010 blues scale practice for diatonic harmonica warm up by trying the following with bends if possible. The hohner company has a woodcombed diatonic harmonica they have named the blues harp. You dont have to memorize this chart to decide which key harp to use. A brief explanation of why you should buy a chromatic harmonica, especially if you already play diatonic. This pattern ensures that, in a diatonic scale spanning more than one octave, all the half steps are maximally separated from. Playing in first position on a diatonic you miss out on the lower minor 6th note and that makes me all kinds of sad and frustrated. For some datasets this finder proved more accurate than existing commercial key and bpm detection tools. The melody maker, with its three altered notes, is great for playing major scale melodies in 2nd position cross harp. The harmonica is a popular handheld mouthblown instrument used in many genres of music, including rock, blues, bluegrass, folk and country. It is manufactured by hohner, lee oskar, seydel and suzuki.