Just got me two Hohner Blues harps

casper leblanc

One in G and one in C. They are used, but never used. I got two for the price of one new one.

I'm very happy with the G, but I'm not so sure if the C was a good decision. Oh well, can always sell it...

comical_imbalance

My bro just bought me a hohner for my birthday.
This is all new to me... Its in the key of C (apparently easiest to learn) but I have no idea how to play it yet.
Yeh, suck-blow etc....
Is there a specific site i should check out? There's no instructions, but i have deduced (rightly or wrongly) that the notes are a Cmaj scale.
Google gives heaps of hits for learning to play, just wondering if there is one thats better than the others?

Cheers

casper leblanc

Well, I'm pretty much in the same boat as you are

this is what I looked up so far, don't really know if they're 'better' than another.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~krooshof/mondharmonica.html

http://www.gindick.com/content/jam_room.asp

http://www.ehow.com/how_5948_play-blues-harmonica.html

who's_pearljam?

I think you guys are on the right track!

The FIRST thing before you start playing blues harp, though, we have to work on those names.

Casper Lebanc and Comical Imbalance are good names, but you need some adjectives or another name to add on if you’re gonna play the blues!
Pick from this list and THEN learn to play,.

Jake
Willie

Big
Little
Blind
Lemon
Jailhouse
I don’t think Big Mama fits for you guys, though.
Junior!!! :cool:
Old
Young


When you’re playing the blues, you need inspiration.
NOT things like,

"I got no Fralin Blues Pups in my Tele
It has low treble response
I wish I had the cash for some Da da da da da
BETter CA-PA-CITORSSS
I got the Bluuuueeessss!



You need to reach deeper than that,,, more like “I shot a man in Brussels,, or Melborne,,
Brussels sounds kind of bluesy,,, but Melbourne doesn’t seem to work.
hmmm,, no, I shot a man in Adelade?
I shot a man in the Outback! Haha,,,, there you go. Double meanings!

Well, you guys can work on that.


Then, let’s see. Your harp should usually be a 4th higher than the key of the song.
Your C harps are great. You would use them in songs in the key of G , a common blues key.
The G harp is good for songs in D

An A harp would be great if you’re playing with guitar players who like to play in E.

Just think one 4th up on the scale from the key the song’s in and that’s the harp you’ll want to use.

Use your Low E string to learn where the 4th is.
Fret a note on the E string and the note on the A string next to it is the 4th.
(Open E string, so the open A string is the 4th)
Fret at the A, the note next to it is D Song in A? Use a D harp.


You have to learn to bend the notes, too, and that takes practice on how you blow or suck through that thing. I’m not that great, but I can do it. The harp only has 10 notes, so you have to bend for those two missing ones and that’s what it’s all about. Bending the notes.


Listen to Junior Wells or Jimmy Reed! Of course,,, those old records won’t spin right and will be out of tune with your harp, so it’s hard to play along.

STOP playing Oh Suzanna!!!

Ok, that is all!

Oh,,, Casper, I’m not going to buy your used harmonica!!!

Have fun!

Cheers!
Little Willie Bob,



Ok,
Fat Lemon Bob! :cool:

casper leblanc

Bob, you're nuts!

Actually, I have an amazing story to share and I think you in particular wil enjoy it. It's about a bluesman I interviewed yesterday. Really awesome story. Alas, I have no time right now, cause I have a deadline to make now.

who's_pearljam?

casper leblanc wrote:

Bob, you're nuts!

Actually, I have an amazing story to share and I think you in particular wil enjoy it. It's about a bluesman I interviewed yesterday. Really awesome story. Alas, I have no time right now, cause I have a deadline to make now.

Cool! You interview some great people, man! Did you ask some tips while you were at it? Did he try to shoot you?

Haha,,, I just read what I wrote up there. haha,, maybe I AM nuts! Maybe I got a strong batch of coffee!

casper leblanc

who's_pearljam? wrote:

Cool! You interview some great people, man! Did you ask some tips while you were at it? Did he try to shoot you?

Not quite. It's a guy I used to live above as a student. So it was great to see him again. Now this guy is 58, but he looks like 70. He was part of one of the biggest Belgian bands in the 70ies, but he left them before the got big, to pursue his music: the blues. Life hasn't always been nice to him. In short: he is the real deal. He knows, lives and breathes the blues.

At the end of the interview he took out his guitar and started playing and singing - which I have on my tape recorder. Now he knows I started learning to play while we lived in the same building. So all of the sudden he gives me his guitar and says: now it's your turn!

We're in a bar with not much, but still some people and I've had a couple of glasses of wine, so I go for it. Mind you, I've never played in a bar and without the wine I would have never done it.

So I play this little riff of mine I like and he just starts to sing, improvising and wingin it at the spot, nailing every rythm with his smokey voice. He was rolling a joint and he just started singing about the leaves to roll them in... in French!

Meanwhile this old bum starts tapping rythm on the bar.

It was awesome and I have it all on tape. I'd really like to turn it into an mp3, but I don't know how. This is on cassette.

And now I need to get back to my interview!

who's_pearljam?

That's great! What an interview!

Those are the moments to cherish in life.

Dude, you may want to get an Edirol 09.
haha,, it all ties together. I just got one. It's $400 here, so pricey, but it's a GREAT digital recorder and perfect for what you. It's got two built in condensor mikes and records to mp3 of big wavs if you know what that is. (HAHA, I don't yet! )

It's what I used to record the stuff for Comical Imbalance on the other side of the world. It's the size of a deck of cards and the quality of the sound is amazing and even I could figure it out!!!

My friend just took it to record a rock show, and I haven't heard it, but he said the sound is amazing.

I have a CD recorder that puts tapes to CD if you want, I'll be happy to do it for you. It involves the mail, though.

casper leblanc

who's_pearljam? wrote:

I have a CD recorder that puts tapes to CD if you want, I'll be happy to do it for you. It involves the mail, though.

My dad might have one of those as well. I'll check with him first - he lives closer

but you're right: those are the moments - and tapes - to cherish. That is why I still love this job even thouhg it can get very shitty at times.

Only problem is that it's very hard to put the words of a drunken bluesman on paper for a decent interview.

who's_pearljam?

casper leblanc wrote:

Only problem is that it's very hard to put the words of a drunken bluesman on paper for a decent interview.

Mabe a few Leffes and you'll be in the right frame of mind!

Ok, well, Leffes isn't exactly a blues drink, I guess.

Maybe some cheap whiskey and a mean mean woman,, then get run out of town,,, THEN write the story "down the side of the railroad track"!