Harmonica In The Key Of B

The common 10 hole harmonica is a diatonic instrument meaning that it is designed to play in one key c for a c harmonica.

Harmonica in the key of b. Two columns to the left of it shows bb b flat in the key of harmonica column. For example if you compare a c harmonica with a piano the c harmonica can play the white key notes only. However if you are just getting started we feel that owning the first 5 keys listed above would give you enough flexibility to play in many situations. If you know the key of the harmonica you have and want to know what key you will be in for 2nd position count up 5 notes give the harmonica a high five and count up 5 notes from the 1st position key.

Key of song harmonica to use. This chart shows 4 fundamental common playing positions keys of music that major diatonic harmonicas may be played in. What s the best key for blues harmonica playing. The standard diatonic harmonica comes in 12 standard keys.

Asking the key before a song starts is reasonable asking the key during a song is not. Many players will indicate the key but some will not. The major diatonic harmonica is commonly used for playing blues and rock starting from hole 2 draw. Watch this video and you will find out the secret.

Since there are 12 keys g a bb b c etc there are in theory 12 different positions on a harmonica. The left column represents the key of the harmonica labeled in 1 st position straight harp which plays the major scale starting from hole 4 blow on the harmonica. This also means that some notes are missing. Which key harmonica should i use.

So you ll eventually own several diatonics to play in several keys. Different playing positions allow us to play in different keys on a single harmonica. The diatonic is a single reed harmonica with only one reed to play each note. If the guitar player says hey we are playing in e then check the chart and grab your a harp.

And if the answer is obvious it is better to know than to ask. You would now choose your bb diatonic and play it in 2nd position for the blues song in the key of f. Beginning harmonica players usually need to be told which harmonica key to use during jams. Click here to go to the major diatonic key chart showing the various keys of music that each key of harmonica can play in using 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th positions.

If the guitar player or band is in the key of a simply look at the chart and across from a it tells you to use a harmonica in the key of d. This is to help you remember what you just learned. To play in the key of c on a c harmonica straight harp you d just have to start and finish all the scales on the note of c. The first is harmonica high five.