Hole sizes
Hi folks.
My name is Ian from England and i'm new to the harmonica and the forum. here is a question i hope you can help me with.
I bought a big river harp key of D last week' and started to learn tounge blocking and was happy with my progress over the week. To learn the Walk with me study song i bought a Marine band key of A harp' and found i was struggling to do my tounge blocking' its as if im re learning over again. looking at both harps together i noticed the holes on the marine band are more rectangle and smaller in width than the big river. Is it best to stick with one type of harmonica or am i being inpatient and keep trying.
All the best.
Ian
Thanks Winslow for the advice.
Im sure with time and practice it will all come together.
all the best.
Ian.
Hi, Winslow here, standing in for David while he's away on honeymoon.
Nearly all diatonic harmonicas have the same hole spacing - that is, the distance from the center of one reed to the center of the next is the same. (Most manufacturers follow Hohner's reed spacing, with Seydel being the only known exception - their spacing is wider.)
However, the size and shape of the hole opening that directs air to the reed can vary from model to model.
When you first start out playing, even small differences among models can seem really significant. However, as you progress you'll find that you can adapt fairly readily, and the things that different harmonicas have in common will be more significant than the relatively small differences.
Your Marine Band in A is a much lower-pitched harp than your Big River in D, and that difference can contribute to any feeling that the harps play differently.
So what should you do?
You're going to need the A harp for much of the program, especially the early part, so I'd advise you to focus on it. Once you feel you're getting the hang of a technique on the A harp, try it out on the Big River in D. It's good to develop the ability to switch easily among different harmonica "interfaces."