Hello everyone!
I’m a complete beginner, and I have no experience playing the harmonica. I know this question has been asked a lot. I’ve read Luke reviews and a ton of posts on Reddit, but I still can’t figure out which harmonica is better for me - Special 20 or Lee Oscar.
I plan to play rock songs, traditional songs, as well as country and a little bit of blues.
So, if I’m getting this right, rock and traditional songs are mainly single-note melodies, right? Kind of like most of the songs on this link: Tabs – The Most Popular Tabs, Ever? I know that Lee Oscar is better for single notes (melodies), but I’ve also heard that blowing single notes is generally very difficult for beginners and takes A LOT of time to master.
Some people say that bends on Special 20 are easier and don’t require quite as much breath force in comparison with Lee Oscar.
I’ve also read that Lee Oscar is not suitable for overblowing, which isn’t the case with the Special 20. Is overblowing a really important thing? Does this mean that when I become more experienced, I will have to buy a different harmonica for overblowing?
Some people have advised buying a Lee Oscar because it’s much more durable than the Special 20, which a beginner might wear out quite fast.
So, is it true that Lee Oscar is great for melodies but kind of average for chords, while Special 20 is just good at both?
Please advise me on what to choose.
Definitely the sp20. Less Leakey and better quality out of the box imo. Do t worry about overblows yet, p just get control of the bends.
Thank you!
don’t overthink it! playing is easy but playing really well is a lifelong journey. can’t go wrong with the Sp 20 for a versatile and durable harp. loved by beginners and pros alike.
Neither is better than the other really apart from price. The Special 20 is used by a lot of pros for a reason. But I didn’t learn on one I started out on wooden combed old school Marine bands that ripped your lips to pieces. My honest opinion I think if you are a rank beginner try a T008K East top their a bit cheaper than Hohner or Lee Oskers, and they’ll get you up and running. You may have to gap some of the top end reeds to get them to play a bit better but there’s a ton of YouTube vids showing you how to do that, it’s a useful skill to learn because not all harmonicas arrive perfect to play out of the box. My last Hohner in G had to be gapped, and I had a tiny bit of reed rattle on hole one which I had to fix. So try and East Top if you don’t get into it then it’s less of a sting to your wallet. I have East Tops as back ups for my Hohner s I also practice on them. They are pretty good
Thank you!
Thanks!
I would not suggest this if you’ve already started playing a diatonic but if you want to play single note melodies have you thought of a chromatic? You can even play it as a solo tuned diatonic without using the slide button. One chromatic in the key of C gives everything you need using Major; Minor & Blues Pentatonic scales. If you’re very new, starting with a solo tuned chromatic will become second nature quite quickly, I’d suggest an East:Top 10 or 12 hole valveless, probably cost the same as one diatonic and I’ll guarantee one diatonic will never be enough. OK, I’m biased in favour of chromatics (look at my posts on the forum) so I’m only raising the idea as something to consider. When I travel overseas which is very often, I carry one East:Top 10/40 valveless chromatic in C and it’s never stopped me playing with others irrespective of musical style or key, even recently with some Arabian musicians. It’s just a thought. Jay1
They’re both recommended for starters and don’t think either will be bad for you. What I am going to add is expect to try a few different makes and styles before you settle on the ones that just work best for you. What works for me might not work best for you, so if you get a special 20 and don’t get on with it, don’t feel bad or get overly worried if it’s not just right. If there was a right harp for everyone, that’d be the one everyone buys (and the other makers copy).
I’ve taken to Seydel’s session steel, but they are very much not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve stuggled when playing sandwich style harps (like marine band style). Either will do you fine, and as you get to grips with it you’ll start to figure out what’s right for you.
I would get Crossovers to start, learn on and pass on to you grand kids. I am not a fan of buying something low end only to have to upgrade. By the time you get a good harp you will have a very expensive one factoring in all the lesser ones you tossed.
I don’t like crossovers I’ve had a few they didn’t last as long as my SP20’S, And SP20’s are played by pros worldwide and have been the standard for both beginners and pros for years
Use Lee Oskar. Never had any of the forementioned issues. Replaceable reed pates, larger tone holes, Only had one not air tight out of the box. Took a couple of minute to fix. Early on had some Hohner. Don’t recall which model. Thought it was stuffy compared to the LO. Don’t claim expertise in all makes. Just had excellent results with LO.
LO’s in my opinion are far too bright for blues, but great for country Bluegrass Cajun, folk etc
Andy
Did you get rid of the comb the crossover comes with? Once I got a good, straight plastic comb, flat reed plates and the reeds set my Crossovers have never been a problem. What caused your crossovers to fail?
Scott
My L O plays single notes extremely well but its feels like trying to play a square shaped harp. Not much of a melody harp from my standpoint. I will say any single notes can be played and bends are no problem but all things consider mine stays near the bottom of my box.
They were very early versions when they were first introduced to the market, back then the varnishing wasn’t as good as it is now. The wood swole. Fitting a plastic combs to them is a great idea, where did you get the combs for them? You see since I move back to the UK I’ve found when it comes to getting even the simple things over here ( like spare screws, for back plates or reed plates) it’s very difficult that’s one of the things I miss about the US, the availability of stuff over there.
I’m very confused. What is a square shaped harp? Plays single notes well but not much of a melody harp? Makes no sense to me. What is melody playing if not playing single notes?
Use a pedal to alter the timbre for a darker sound.
I think he means they’re a bit blocky to play compared to other makes
I’d just use the L O for other stuff such as Cajun or Zydeco, they are also great for country, Rockabilly, Reggae and Ska. But I’ve never liked em for Blues