If you are a beginner who would rather save money right now, any economical 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C will be fine to jam along with my Beginner to Boss harmonica lessons. I prefer the East Top T008k. If you want the absolute least expensive harp you can get to test the waters, consider the Hohner Blues Band. Verdict– The Hohner Special 20 was developed in the 1970’s to be more comfortable and easier to play than the original Marine Band harmonica, and with the plastic comb and counter-sunk reed plate, there’s no doubt that they accomplished their goal. It’s warm, dark tone, and excellent responsiveness and bendability, along with being comfortable on the lips when playing for long periods of time, make it the choice of countless pros, including John Popper of Blues Traveler. 4.3/5 Stars Total. The harp manufacturers’ sets (usually of 5, 7 or 12) give a good indication of the popular keys, but that only becomes important when you want to play with others, or to recorded tunes. If you’ve got a guitarist mate that plays blues, an A would definitely be next (an A plays in the key of E in 2nd position (often the best position for blues), and guitarists like the open chords in E). You should get an instant answer on whether your application has been successful, though in some rare cases Klarna or V12 may need to look at the application in more detail.

A unique, beautifully mellow sound, based on a revolutionary concept: the Special 20 was the first diatonic harmonica in the world with reed plates recessed into the comb, creating a projecting plastic mouthpiece. This makes it more comfortable to play, and the most copied harmonica design worldwide. If expense isn’t an issue and you’re NOT a beginner, then the Hohner Crossover or the customized Seydel 1847 Silver are both beasts of a harmonica. (see above)We got a special deal on some Hohner harmonicas in key C from our supplier and we are passing the savings on to you, our customers. The Blues Harp, Big River and Marine Band in key C are available at special prices. These harmonicas are ideal for beginners to advanced players, and are suitable for playing blues and other styles of music. Bendability– The Special 20 has always had a reputation for being very easy to bend out of the box. Both the draw bends and the blow bends on this harmonica were very easy to execute and control with precision. 5/5 Stars However, the Gear4music extended warranty scheme provides an enhanced service, and is designed to offer a higher level of protection than many 'free' warranties offered by some retailers and manufacturers. Greg Jones: JP recommends his Overblow/Overdraw set up. You’ll find his customized harps at 1623customharmonicas.com. I recommend you start with a harmonica in the key of C for several reasons. Most importantly, a C harmonica will enable you to be in tune with the majority of beginning level harmonica lessons. Why don’t you recommend a harmonica with the side button?

If you’re on a budget, or you just want to test the waters, go with the East Top T008k or Fender Blues Deluxe or the Hohner BluesBand. Why should beginners start with a harmonica in the key of C? One more thought: if you’re wanting to be able to play along with guitarist, and you’re wanting to do bluesy kind of stuff, you’ll want to get an A harmonica, as that is the key you need to play blues in E, and E is a guitar player’s favorite key. What makes both the Lee Oskar and the Special 20 harmonicas great is that they are relatively affordable, they have great (loud) projection, they are responsive (easy to play,) they are in tune out of the box, and they are easy to bend out of the box. They also have plastic combs which are much easier on the lips than the wooden combs that are in harmonicas such as the Hohner Marine Band 1896. Wooden combs have a nice “woody”tone, but are very painful on the lips when playing for long periods of time. For Advanced Intermediates to Pro

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But, according to JP, the 1847’s have to be customized by a harmonica technician for optimal performance (i.e., they’re not the best performing harmonicas out-of-the-box, but in his opinion, they are the best once they’re customized). JP recommends two possible one-man-shop professional harmonica technicians who can set them up for you, both of whom he has had good experience with: Most beginner tutorials, both free ones that you can find on YouTube, and paid ones such as my Beginner to Boss course, are all using C harmonicas. So starting with a C harmonica will enable you to benefit from all of the great beginner instruction available online. If you are a beginner or a non-musician, I don’t recommend a harmonica with a button on the side (chromatic) because it’s a much more challenging instrument. I recommend you get off to a great start with the standard 10-hole harmonica (diatonic) first and then you can progress to a chromatic harmonica if you choose.