Melodious Harmonica

24Jan/11Off

Echo Doulbe 16 Hole Melodious Harmonica Mouth Organ
Paypal

US $10.67

Melodious Harmonica In The News

Questions about Melodious Harmonica

Melodious Soul - Kersley - Harmonica.mp4

It has never been easier to shop for Melodious Harmonica.

Melodious Harmonica Videos

Is my 16-hole (AKA 32 hole) harmonica limited when compared to the average 10-hole harmonica?

I have a 16 hole harmonica, which has been called a 32-hole harmonica on some websites due to each hole being split in half horizontally, and I was wondering if the fact that I can't bend any notes on it is due to the fact that it's been called a children's toy on several websites or due to the fact that I am just starting to play my harmonica.

--------------------
My 16/32 hole harmonica looks like:

http://m2.sourcingmap.com/smapimg/en/n/09c/golden-echo-hole-melodious-harmonica-mouth-organ-42181n.jpg

and

http://m2.sourcingmap.com/smapimg/en/n/10a/black-holes-harmonica-metal-mouth-organ-instrument-63185n.jpg

--------------------

It is actually exactly like the black one. So it basically IS the black one.

So to restate the question:

Is my 16/32 hole harmonica limited when it comes to playing great sounding tunes that are so famous on 10-hole harmonicas? Can I play something like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MduJjbcLSqE on my 16/32 hole harmonica?

Your 16/32 is a tremolo harmonica. It's a different creature than a 10-hole diatonic with a wholly different sound. It may also have an entirely different tuning system. The diatonic uses a system called Richter whereas many tremolos are "solo-tuned".

Further, your instrument isn't a very high quality harmonica. It may (or may not) be a fine musical instrument but it was designed to be purchased cheaply and usually for children to play around with.

A decent tremolo harmonica from the likes of Hohner or Suzuki is a bit more expensive than a 10-hole diatonic. Several of mine were in the $100-200+ range whereas a $50 10-hole is considered "really expensive" by most players and most players start out with one down in the $10'ish range.

The tremolo is for playing melodies and not so much for playing improvisational blues. Tremolos excel in gospel and folk tunes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDZTdamEQ4 is a good example of tremolo harps played well and explained.

The video link you sent is an example of a 10-hole diatonic playing blues improv. The tremolo doesn't sound so hot attempting that and usually doesn't bend as easily either. This is because every note on a tremolo has two reeds (slightly out of tune with each other) so you're bending more and start out of tune on one - it's near impossible to get a decent and consistent attempt with those without tons of experience. Add that your instrument isn't very high quality - it's not going to respond to you the way a quality harmonica will.

You can get a functional 10-hole diatonic (Hohner Blues Band) for about $5.00 at your local music store or online. Cracker Barrel stores sell them up by the cash register too. It's not a fantastic model but it works and is useful for learning on until you know what you'd like to buy next.

The Hohner Marine Band, Special 20, Big River, and Blues Harp are examples of good quality blues harmonicas that won't set you back a fortune. Any of the Lee Oskar harps will do as well.

Big Mama Mae Thornton concert at Newport Folk Festival on 18 Jul 69

$9.98

Bridging the gap between seminal originators like Bessie Smith and later-era blues divas like Koko Taylor, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton enjoyed a long illustrious career spanning four decades. Blessed with a powerfully pure and melodious voice and an equally strong personality, Thornton would have a profound influence that stretched far beyond the blues community. A self-taught drummer, harmonica player, and songwriter, Thornton was that rare triple threat who could play, sing, and write, and whose talents became a magnet for many of the greatest blues musicians of the era. The likes of Muddy Waters and his band, Lightnin' Hopkins and Buddy Guy all served to enhance the music of Big Mama Thornton, both in the studio and on stage. Her recordings and the blues phraseology of her singing style, which could be strong and sexy one minute and unequivocally delicate the next, would inspire nearly everyone that encountered her music, including the greatest of her black contemporaries, like the aforementioned Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins to subsequent generations of white superstars like Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin. Born in rural Alabama in 1926, Thornton's introduction to music began like many of her peers, in the Southern Baptist church, where her father was a minister and her mother a singer. Following her mother's death in 1941, the 14 year old began a seven-year tenure with Sammy Green's Georgia-based show, The Hot Harlem Revue. Often promoted as the "New Bessie Smith," Thornton sang her way throughout the southeastern United States, absorbing the influences of seminal blues singers like Smith, Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie, and Junior Parker, while gaining valuable singing and stage experience. In 1948, Thornton relocated to Houston, Texas. Three years later she began her recording career, signing with the Houston-based Peacock Records in 1951, a label specializing in gritty rhythm and blues and gospel recordings that would have a significant influence on