Saw this when checking out the tin whistle. Don't know how to play it but seems to be a lot fun for kids and adults.
Appears to be the best price according to CCC(au.camelcamelcamel.com). Don't forget to check the 10% coupon to make it 25% off.
Review by Harmonica.com(youtube.com).
CamelCamelCamel.
Hahaha - I understand why she ran away. A pack of blokes, with a Harmonica, chasing her….. it just doesn't seem right for some reason.
I think if you buy it and play it at work, you may be able to make a better candidate for WFH
You still work with management from the 80s that haven't come into the 21st century? Sorry to hear
Is this good for beginners?
It is easier if you start with a good one
Strangely that's not a market price for a Harmonica in C - brick and mortar shops are typically less,
If not just for toy/novelty use, buy this instead: https://leeoskar.com. The cheap ones really aren't all that nice to play and learn on. I went through a lot of different harps before I settled on these as my go to (as a fair to middling blues harp player).
Just sayin'
Lee Oskar are fantastic. They look plasticky and tinny, don't have funky graphics or Hohner labels, but sound great and last forever.
Also, a C is nice because it matches the white keys on a piano but an A (to play 2nd in E) is the best bet if you want to play with rock or blues.
Think I pretty much have every major diatonic scale now, plus some of the odd scales. Playing with a band I ended up getting a new key every time a song required it. Yes…they are great harps - responsive and hard wearing…good for gigging.
Please share the name of your band if you like! Don't get to see much harp playing - would be nice to see some live.
@fantombloo: We finished up some years back. Just covers bands. I was a fairly average player, but a bit of harp is always well received!
Which one would be best suited for me to learn to play chain reaction?
This is, apparently, what Steve Williams played it on during the original recording:
https://www.swamp.net.au/hohner-560dx-special-20-harmonica-k…
…or the equivalent of the day.
So…song is in A…you'd be playing cross harp in D.
I actually get a D harp when I follow the link in the original post above. Give it a try I guess…$20 isn't a huge risk. If it sucks, get something better.
Thanks mate, definitely a step up from the one I posted. Will look into it if anyone in my family wants to upgrade.
After buying a few beginner instruments, I learnt not to go cheap and nasty but also not going overboard. There are sweet spots for the few I know. Eg. Makala dolphin or shark for ukuleles, Yamaha/Casio/Korg for weighted keys digital pianos. Is there anything like that for harmonicas? Or is Lee Oskar C the minimum baseline?
I’m certainly no pro, and I haven’t picked one up in a while. Lee Oskar is just what I settled on when I was in the habit of playing daily, and I amassed a collection of them. I had some nice Hohners, including a couple of chromatic harps from them, and a lovely little gold chorus type thing that I can’t remember the model but is one of my favourites.
The wooden comb harps I grew to hate. They expand and contract of course, and end up not being nice to play. Apparently the tone is a thing though.
The special 20 by Hohner linked above seems analogous to the Lee Oskar harps I think, so should be nice to play.
Suzuki also makes harmonicas, including some serious orchestral models, plus simple diatonic harps. They make a composite material that is supposed to imitate wooden comb, but without the expansion/contraction that comes with natural timber.
I think hard core players sometimes tweak these instruments…you can chisel the reeds to adjust pitch or tweak them to allow easier note bending. I’ve heard of people mix and matching plates for crazy scales and bending.
We shouldn’t write off the harp in your deal here…it seems to have some positive reviews. Just that my experience with lower priced instruments isn’t as positive as that I had with better ones like the Lee Oskar or the nicer Hohners.
I found the better harps easier to bend notes on…but I think a good player can adjust the instrument to taste, and may even be able to get more from a cheap harp.
Gee…looking around at harmonicas again makes me want to get back into it. It’s such an intuitive instrument to play, and really nowhere near as expensive as some other instrument types!
Thanks, there's nothing better than learning from the knowledgeable people here. I'll keep an eye on the Hohner special 20 and Suzuki.
Agree there's always a catch to the cheaper beginner instruments. Even for the most suggested Makala ukuleles, most people would be surprised if I tell them a proper set up would cost more than the instrument itself.
Is a dodgy knee close enough to being bad to the bone?
You want the horn section…
i think this was the purchase that my wife realises that i buy a bunch of crap only because it is on sale.
Made from electro-plated brass, copper-plated titanium, and plastic (from second product graphics).