What kind of harp should i buy

The greater the dynamic range and the less effort required to get a true fortissimo the better, as long as the instrument is not flabby and muddy sounding when played loudly.

There should be no clicking- check when holding each pedal near the middle notch, and move the pedals from flat to sharp and back to flat. How do the pedals feel - stiff? They should move smoothly. Are the pedal felts in good shape, not worn through levels of felt? This is an indication of recent care. A week should be enough time to get to know the harp and discover anything important that may have been missed during the initial inspection. Most dealers in pedal harps are honest, and most harpists selling a used instrument are also, but these are complex instruments and it is easy for even a technically competent person to miss something.

If not, you might take several digital photos and e-mail them to the maker, who might be able to tell if everything looks OK. If you stand facing a well-built new harp, you will notice a very slight lean to the left in the vertical orientation of the column. All of this is done to help the frame resist warping from the string tension over time.

They told me that they frequently see harps sent to them for a second rebuild only three or five years after the first one was done because whoever did it left out the column block reset just to make it look like their quote for the rebuild was lower.

They ended up wasting thousands of dollars having much of the same work done a second time! I am having my 23 rebuilt right now. You see, the strings are wound on one side of the neck. When a column is straight that puts the center of the neck over the center of the soundboard.

When the neck is centered over the soundboard the strings at the neck are not. Thus the strings are pulling not only upward but also off to the player's left. This angular, uneven pressure can cause the soundboard to crack. Nearly all of the soundboards that I have seen that have had a final, failing crack have failed parallel with the center strip, on the player's right side and in the fifth octave.

Since the strings are on the left, as the harp ages the column will naturally warp to the left. When repairing or rebuilding it is important to consider resetting the column block to cause the top of the column to be in a position that has the strings pulling it straight upwards. Warp at 5th C.

Knee block. Pedal spring stud holes? Noise during pedal movement? Looseness of linkage? Other damage? Appearance, action plates, hardware. Are they worth the price? 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:.

You can reach him at info opendoorprod. I have not personally used these guys, but as I mentioned, because I respect JP Allen so much, I wanted to include this info here for those of you who might be interested in seeking out the best of the best quality instrument.

I intend to get these guys to set up a couple for me at some point, and will get back to you here once I do it! If you want the very best and money is not an object, consider a Hohner Crossover. If you want the very best, and money and time is not an object, you could order the Seydel Silver from us or directly from one of the technicians mentioned above.

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. I recommend you get off to a great start with the standard hole harmonica diatonic first and then you can progress to a chromatic harmonica if you choose.

This is a list of harmonicas that I have spent time reviewing. They are presented here in my subjective, humble opinion from best to worst, irrespective of price. If your harmonica is in the 3. I also now prefer to play higher quality tuned harps that are available in most keys notes including sharps and flats. This really opens up the possibilities and means I can play along with just about any other instrument or a band and be in tune!

Close menu. Dan Moi. Jews harp sets. Untuned J harps. Tuned Jews Harps. Buy Music. World Drums. It has a plastic comb and durable brass reeds.

Build quality is good and it produces a nice clean sound, with bends being available, albeit with slightly less ease than on the Special Solist Pro : This has a wooden comb, like the Marine Band, but has much better sealing, so is less vulnerable to moisture. An overlooked harp that should be more popular than it is. Suzuki has a long history of producing harmonicas for educational purposes, primarily as a consequence of it being a mainstay of music teaching in Japanese schools since the s.

The Airwave, in particular, is a great instrument for children to take their first steps with the harmonica. It features a traditional cover plate design, and the sound is akin to a Special 20, albeit slightly quieter and a little bit less bluesy. Bluesmaster : This has the same basic materials as the Harpmaster, but has a more modern design that gives it a look and feel very much like a Special Another overlooked harp. Unlike the other manufacturers featured here, Lee Oskar produces only a single type of harmonica — a 10 hole diatonic that is available in a number of different tunings.

Major Diatonic : This is a 10 hole diatonic that is available in a wide range of keys. It is interchangeable with all of the Lee Oskar range, meaning that if you want to convert it to a harmonic minor, natural minor, or Melody Maker tuning, you need only change the reed plates.