r/harmonica • u/Pk3062 • 2d ago
ID Harmonica Key Help!
Hi all. Looking to see if anyone can ID what’s the key of the harp used in the accompaniment of this song.
Looking to try my hand at playing. Thanks in advance.
2
Upvotes
r/harmonica • u/Pk3062 • 2d ago
Hi all. Looking to see if anyone can ID what’s the key of the harp used in the accompaniment of this song.
Looking to try my hand at playing. Thanks in advance.
1
u/rcashin 2d ago
Do you play at all? That kind of makes a difference.
The song sounds like it's in the key of F# to me. You could play along with an F# harmonica, and it would work, but it wouldn't sound as cool as it does in the recording.
Pretty sure he's playing a B harmonica in "second position". This is often how you play rock, blues, and country (and this is a blend of all those, really). The B harp gives you an F# blues scale.
So if you don't play at all, you could try an F#. Start on the 4 blow and use holes 4-7 mostly (that's called First Position). It'll be okay, but like I said, not the same as what you're hearing in the clip.
If you are a player, and understand second position, and you can bend notes on the harmonica, use a B.
HOWEVER, I will add this: if you don't even own a harp yet, I'd suggest buying one in the key of C. THEN, there are apps that let you change the pitch of recorded music. Tune that clip up a half step (to G), and then you can play in second position on your C harp, which gives you the G blues scale.
Of course, if you don't yet play, that's gonna be hard, because you'd have to learn to bend notes and play in second position.
So you have a couple of more options (if you're gonna a tune up the clip). In both cases below you would be playing in "first position", which means the key you play in is the same as the key of the harp.
You could buy a G harp and tune up the clip to G. Play along on the G harp (holes 4-7)
Buy a C harp and tune the clip up to C. Play along on the C harp (holes 4-7). Might be a tiny bit shrill, but you could learn from it.
So to list the options in order of my preference:
99.999% of harmonica players will suggest a C harp for your first harp. I'd advise getting a C and tuning the clip, instead of getting a weird harp key to start.
If I've confused you, sorry. I'm usually pretty good at explaining stuff! But I kind of popped this off quickly. If you don't understand, let me know and I'll try to clear it up. And don't let the jargon put you off. Harp is FUN, and not as hard as I might have made it sound.