Harmonica Gear
Which harmonica do you need?
Best harmonica for learning the Blues
If you want to learn how to play the Blues then you will need a 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of “C”. There are other keys that you will probably get in the future but most educational material available here and elsewhere features a “C” harmonica. Be careful when selecting a harmonica as you will come across a wide variety of instruments which are not suitable for the Blues. Avoid Tremolo, Chord, Bass and Chromatic harmonicas (for now).
Buying your first harmonica
I highly recommend starting with a Hohner Special 20* harmonica in the key of “C”. It is extremely good value for money and plays well out of the box for players of all levels. It is held together with screws which makes it easy to clean and service. The comb is plastic which means it is waterproof. This is important as you are going to salivate a lot (especially when you are first starting out).The reeds are brass which makes them easy to play with minimum effort.
After your first harmonica
There are lots of great harmonicas out there to try out once you have got a bit of experience. I’m a big fan of the Hohner Crossover and the Seydel 1847 Classic. They both feel very different from each other; the Crossover responds well to a light touch while the Seydel needs a firmer hand.
Here is a video I did comparing the two
Once you have been playing for six months to a year it is worth trying different brands and models of harmonica out. You might be surprised by what you end up loving. My first harmonica was a Lee Oskar which I loved until I tried a Hohner Marine Band which blew my mind!
DO NOT buy a cheap harmonica
You might be tempted to buy a cheap harmonica or set of harmonicas on Amazon but it simply is not worth it. They will be hard to play and difficult to learn on. It is better to have one good quality harmonica instead of seven mediocre ones.
Buying more keys
There are 12 standard keys of 10-hole diatonic harmonica; G, Ab, A, B, Bb, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F and F#. In practice the most useful keys to have in your repertoire are G, A, Bb, C, D and F. These will enable you to play the majority of Blues music that you will want to. You might discover some repertoire that requires one of the other keys in which case you can add that to your quiver but this set of six will cover most of your bases.
Should You Buy An East Top Harmonica?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be answering the question - Should You Buy An East Top Blues Harmonica? I will give you the specs, demo it and tell you what I think of it. https://youtu.be/mDGpAqkeFNU Thank You
Hohner Crossover | Is this harmonica worth it?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be talking about Hohner Crossover - I’ve been receiving quite a lot of requests to review/demo some out of the box harmonicas so I thought I would start with one of the models I use a lot. https://youtu.be/g58_7eq_Hmk...
Which Harmonica Should a Beginner Use – And Not Use
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be showing you which harmonica should you use as a Beginner. I'll also tell you what not to use! Thank You
Is this the loudest harmonica? (Hohner Crossover Blue Moon Custom Double Reed Plates)
In this video, I’m going to talk about the super-souped up Custom Hohner Crossover from Blue Moon Harmonicas with Double Reed Plates. I’ll be comparing it with a standard Hohner Crossover and answering the question - “Is this the loudest harmonica”....
Should You Buy a Seydel 1847 Harmonica?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be talking about one of the models I use a lot - the Seydel 1847 Classic. I’ll be talking about the specs, reviewing the playability, demoing the sound and answering the question - Should You Buy a Seydel 1847 Classic...
EASIEST Harmonica To Bend
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be talking about what is the easiest harmonica to bend... https://youtu.be/gEki6YsN5CY Resources Buy Hohner Special 20 on Amazon Click here for a comparison between Hohner vs Suzuki vs Seydel And here's my Bending...
Ask Tomlin: Harmonica Jam Tips • How to Clean Your Harmonica • Easy 12 Bar Blues Improv Tricks + more!
It's a lot of fun to buy new harmonicas and watch a ton of YouTube lessons. One thing that will really help you improve quickly on harmonica is getting feedback from a mentor or teacher. In this video I answer questions from members of Tomlin Harmonica School about...
Harmonica Looping
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I am going to give you a quick start guide for harmonica looping using a Looper Pedal. https://youtu.be/4tl3iXIUElQ You will need a C harmonica played in 2nd position in the key of G. Click here to download lesson...
Getting Started with Harmonica Effects Pedals
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be giving you a quick overview of the types of effects pedals you might want to try out when you play amplified. https://youtu.be/DmNOPj32ZSA For this video I am using a Hohner Harp Blaster HB52 microphone plugged...
Dirty Harmonica Tone – Mic and Amp Guide
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be talking you through what you need to get started playing amplified harmonica to get that dirty blues tone that we all love. I’ll be showing you what kind of amplifier and microphone you will need....
Harmonica Microphones | Harp Tone Tips with Hank Shreve
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be talking about harmonica microphones as something of a dark art. Fear not though, Hank Shreve will be helping to demystify them in this clip from his recent seminar "Hank's Harp Tone Tips' over at Tomlin Harmonica...
Is this the BEST harmonica microphone?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be talking about the Hohner Harp Blaster HB52 Microphone. I decided to buy one to see if it is the best harmonica microphone or not. https://youtu.be/37D2RHgyF1A Here is my signal chain if you are interested in that...
Introduction to Amplified Harmonica
Ask Tomlin: Harmonica Jam Tips • How to Clean Your Harmonica • Easy 12 Bar Blues Improv Tricks + more!
It's a lot of fun to buy new harmonicas and watch a ton of YouTube lessons. One thing that will really help you improve quickly on harmonica is getting feedback from a mentor or teacher. In this video I answer questions from members of Tomlin Harmonica School about...
How Long Does a Harmonica Last?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I'll be talking about how long harmonicas last and if there are brands that last longer. The quick answer is that it really depends on what kind of a player you are, how hard you play and what kind of harmonica you use....
Should you TUNE your harmonicas?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be answering the question "Should you TUNE your harmonicas?". A lot of people think that harmonicas are disposable but I think that is extremely wasteful. I'll tell you why: https://youtu.be/D4K2QcBYHoI Serious...
How to clean a harmonica without chemicals using an ultrasonic cleaner
Hello, and welcome to this week's harmonica lesson where I will show you how to clean your harmonica without using any chemicals using an ultrasonic cleaner. https://youtu.be/vRtKQEBJknk How often do you clean your harmonica? There is no rule for how often you should...
How to clean a harmonica
How to clean a harmonica I got a great tip from my friend Sugar Cain (http://sugarcain.co.uk/ - who makes custom harmonicas) on how to clean your harmonica. The best bit is that you don't need to use any scary chemicals. Here is what you will need; – Bicarbonate of...
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Should You Buy An East Top Harmonica?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be answering the question - Should You Buy An East Top Blues Harmonica? I will give you the specs, demo it and tell you what I think of it. https://youtu.be/mDGpAqkeFNU Thank You
Hohner Crossover | Is this harmonica worth it?
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson where I’ll be talking about Hohner Crossover - I’ve been receiving quite a lot of requests to review/demo some out of the box harmonicas so I thought I would start with one of the models I use a lot. https://youtu.be/g58_7eq_Hmk...
Which Harmonica Should a Beginner Use – And Not Use
Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be showing you which harmonica should you use as a Beginner. I'll also tell you what not to use! Thank You