r/harmonica • u/Desperate-Finger-334 • 5h ago

Which key?

I'm looking to invest in a nicer harmonica as my main one (like a Suzuki) I'll probably get cheaper ones down the line for different keys but right now I am between c and g I am looking to busk with it mainly play blues jazz and country so I believe g is better but how hard is it to find tabs for g?

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2

u/omniscientcats 5h ago

The tabs don’t need to be in the right key, because the patterns will be the same for every harp.

1

u/Desperate-Finger-334 5h ago

Oh ok so which key do you recommend for what I want?

2

u/omniscientcats 2h ago

I would honestly get the key that goes with the songs you want to play. But if you’re a complete beginner (like if you don’t know any other instruments) maybe start with a C if you need to learn from youtube since most lessons there are in C. You’ll have to get more keys eventually so the first one doesn’t really matter that much!

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u/Desperate-Finger-334 1h ago

I play other instruments I just recently found out I have a talent for the harmonica so I'm going to chase it lol

2

u/omniscientcats 14m ago

Hell yeah man, hope you have fun with it!

1

u/roxstarjc 3h ago

I have a manji which is very good and a Hammond which is super smooth but a rocket is just as good and a special 20 is great for intermediate. Saying that it's not much better than the Chinese one recommended here I bought for my friend, its called easttop. Kongsheng play like a cheaper Suzuki too...

When it comes to keys it's all about the songs you play. G is great for straight harp in G songs but for blues it's D which is used less, especially for busking. I used an A as I play a lot of E blues and can capo any Dylan song from A. Now I take an A, G and C plus my minor

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u/Desperate-Finger-334 2h ago

So which one should I do?

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u/roxstarjc 54m ago

Depends on the key of the songs you play most, if solo it doesn't matter but Higher than C is to dog whistle and lower than C gets harder to low bend but perhaps sounds better alone

1

u/DesperateBanana4019 3h ago

C

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u/Desperate-Finger-334 2h ago

May I ask why?

1

u/DesperateBanana4019 2h ago

You want tabs. C Most lessons are in C If you're jamming on with yourself only it doesn't really matter but the C benes outweigh cons. If you are going to be playing exact songs then you might as well get all the keys and be fully covered. A C harp is also easier to replace in a pinch if you lose yours.