I Played the Chromatic Harmonica Today

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Well @Jay1 @Hogie.Harmonica @Slim @Andy2 you did it! You got me to actually pull out my 270 Deluxe and give her a whirl! :flushed:

  • I played the chromatic scale up and down once.
  • Worked out the F blues scale.
  • Played the D blues scale (which was much easier for my brain to compute than F)
  • And then played the the D blues scale using splits to play it in octaves - kinda nice having 2 full octaves of splits on the blues scale.

I donā€™t know when Iā€™ll pull it out again, but you guys got me to exit my comfort zone.

The Game Changer still feels so much closer to home for meā€¦

Solo tuning still makes my brain go in to tilt (though it did feel sort of intuitive to have hole 4 be the (b7) second to last note of the D blues scale, and then have the -5 be the octave - Iā€™ll give you that!)

And is it just me, or does that chromatic harmonica require a lot more air than the diatonic?

If anybody has great advice about the best / most fun thing / easiest thing to do on a chromatic Iā€™m all ears. :ear:t3:

Iā€™m so back and forth in my mind because I already have more things I wanna practice on diatonic than I can find time to do, you know?

Anyways, it does feel good to have tried something new. So, thank you! (Iā€™ll feel so relieved next time I get to play a diatonic. :wink:)

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Awesome awesome!! You are going to love it.

As for advice, Iā€™ll caveat this by saying I am not an expert on the Chromatic. But I have been playing on and off for a two years. Taking classical chromatic lessons recently and played with the Big Band at SPAH this year.

So hereā€™s what I know: the EASIEST way to learn chromatic is to take lessons. More so than diatonic even, because the pedagogy is more well-developed. Also because reading music is the norm rather than tab. Makes things easier, particularly for musicians.

The next thing is scales, scales, scales. Jim Hughes, the late great UK classical chromatic player, says in his book that the most important exercise for chromatic is to play pentachords (5 note scale patterns) that go up and down, using the notes of the major scales. Bonfiglio, one of the most accomplished concerto performers that is currently in the US, has a book that dedicates a substantial chunk of exercises to these patterns.

Solo making your brain tilt will last for awhile. I think it was 6 months before my brain got the message that they are different instruments.

As for air, it depends on the harp. 270ā€™s can be very leaky, particularly if vintage. It is due to the cage construction of the slide assembly. Lots of tricks to fix it. Or you can go with a harp that uses a different construction, like a Hohner Expression, or SCX, or nearly any of the good Chinese harps, they are very airtight.

Interestingly, more time on the trochilus made me play solo tuning better as well. YMMV!

As for what is fun hereā€™s my short list:

  • 1st position blues scale
  • Valved bends - so sweet when you learn to control
  • Autumn Leaves of course. I did a transcription of Chris Bauerā€™s version, let me know if you want it.
  • Classical music that is fairly simple
  • 3rd position translates easiest from diatonic. Classic for blues players.

As for time, I learned chromatic in order to improve my diatonic playing. It worked very well because I developed my ā€œharp earā€ more. Trochilus did the same as well. So no need to feel bad about time away from diatonic - thereā€™s a cumulative value there, not a subtraction.

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Thatā€™s great @Luke, I found a great series of vids on YouTube a guy learning step by step the chromatic harp, only problem is Iā€™ve had a bad reaction to a flu jab, I have to have it every year due to having one lung. Iā€™ve not been able to play at all this week my nose is blocked, my chest is the same aching head to foot. This is the first time Iā€™ve ever had a bad reaction. Iā€™m only hoping the Covid one isnā€™t the same.

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@Luke @Hogie.Harmonica @Andy2 Saturday afternoon and back home, 9 cases including 2 in court scheduled for next week so this is my only chance for a quick look at the forum.
Luke: have a look at my post under CHROMATIC in GEAR where I posted the Pentatonic and blues scales for C chrom that are the get you home free notes for chroms. You feel Solo Tuning makes your brain go into tilt, I feel like that with diatonic but as Peter @Hogie.Harmonica put it they are different instruments. As to air, again as Peter put it that will depend on the harmonica and how much work has been done to make it as airtight as possible. My East:Tops are now pretty airtight but it has taken time. Fun things: how about Summertime in E (assuming you have a C chrom starting with 6 blow) & Take the A Train in C. For blues use 3rd position starting on draw notes 1 or 5. A word of warning! Chroms can become addictive :face_with_spiral_eyes:
@Andy2 Sorry to hear of your bad reaction, I had Flu and Covid jabs at the same time and had no reactions so hope your misery clears up soon. Jay1

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I had both jabs together last year and was very ill only found out later they donā€™t recommend it for someone with one lung. Wish theyā€™d inform the chemists that.
So Iā€™m leaving it for a couple of weeks for the Covid because itā€™s looking like Iā€™ll get the symptoms of that too. The price of getting older I assume as Prior to Covid never had any bad reactions at all

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