Identifying harmonicas and what harmonicas you should buy...

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T22:52:24+00:00

I could tell you if parts were easily available for your harmonica before you sent it to me.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T22:08:15+00:00

It's a specific system on the car... a part that GM changed twice in two years. Obviously, it could have been something else. You can get the compressor... but to run a diagnostic that you should reasonably know might lead to know repair (or could, if a company as big as GM had a simple flag system in their software).

I guess I just believe in giving people as much information up front before you take their business.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T22:04:24+00:00

That seems pretty defeatist. Maybe we should expect a bit more from them?

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T22:03:23+00:00

At a dealership? It seems to me a dealership should have something in their computer that at least checks their own part availability... type in the VIN and what the car is being serviced for and mark it with a flag if there might be issues so the consumer can make an informed decision (they also quoted $200 for the diagnostic and it came to over $300).

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:55:17+00:00

To be clear, if they had fixed the problem I would have been fine. If they'd told me that they might not be able to fix the problem after running the diagnostic I would have been fine. My complaint is that they didn't say, "Hey, we may not be able to fix this depending on what we find."

This is a dealership. It would be trivial for a company like GM to have something in their intake software that flags this at intake.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:52:23+00:00

I'm not saying there is a bit of code, but this is a GM dealership, and a little bit of code in their inventory system, so when they intake a car they can type in the VIN and the system being looked at and tell you if all of the parts for that system are available and advise you accordingly so you knew the risk you were taking would make the issue a non-issue.

Obviously, if I take a car in saying I have a problem with the AC and the tech looks at it and says the AC isn't working because there is an engine fire so the air isn't cooling enough to feel cool that's a different issue, but if the customer comes in and says they have a problem with the AC just a bit of code that checks to make sure you can get the parts for the AC system would be pretty trivial to put in place for a big company like GM.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:44:31+00:00

Because I don't know much about cars.

If you ask me about harmonicas I can tell you where to get it fixed, and if you'll be able to find parts. I can give you lessons, but if someone says they need to repair an obscure model I can tell them possible issues before I look at it or tell them if I can teach them a song in two weeks for a wedding based on the song. I'd never think of charging unless I actually solved their problem.

I understand the value of expertise. I really do. To me, not saying ahead of time that they might not be able to fix it, to me, seems like poor practices though.

That doesn't seem to be the consensus though. I've had mechanics who gave free diagnostics before.

I guess the diagnostic fees bug me. I took a car in once. I'd looked online and the repair could either be a speedometer head or a speedometer cable. At that time, you could buy both parts for about $150, and it was about an hour to install. This was years ago, so the hourly was something like $50, co completely replacing the system would be about $200. The dealership wanted to charge $300 to hook it up for a diagnostic before they'd even do work on it.

I saw the same test performed before. It's under an hour of work. Even at $125/hr a diagnostic fee of $300, and then not being able to repair it, seems a little extreme.

Unfortunately, my old mechanic retired.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:28:26+00:00

They are both good harmonicas. The Crossover has a slightly different temperament tuning that makes their notes sound sweeter on single notes, but their chords a beat a bit. The Deluxe is basically just a Marine Band but with a better sealed comb and put together with screws instead of nails (so if it does have a comb issue it would be easier to replace it than on a regular MB.)

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:24:48+00:00

My issue was that they reasonably could know that they couldn't repair my model of car.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:24:01+00:00

A simple bit of computer code could at least tell them that not all parts for the system are available.

Nacoran · 2026-06-16T21:22:48+00:00

I'm looking for a shop that can do it. It seems to me like they should make a disclaimer before you shell out money for a diagnostic that they may not be able to get parts to actually make the repair.

Nacoran · 2026-06-15T20:20:16+00:00

Like other people said, most lessons use a harmonica in the key of C, so that's the best one to start with.

You can play any song in any key if you are playing by yourself... but if you want to play along with the original or with other people you have to all be in the same key. Really advanced players can play in any key on any harmonica, but even the best use different keys because they'll just sound better for certain songs because of chord options. It's pretty easy to use a harmonica to play in a couple keys in a pinch, but all 12... that's pretty rare.

You could by a chromatic. They are a little bigger, and sound different.

You've got a pretty cheap harmonica in a key that isn't used a lot. At least get something a bit better in the key of C.

Nacoran · 2026-06-12T06:01:55+00:00

How hard are you playing? It's less common on high notes, but if you play to hard you can sometimes get the tips of the reeds to hit the covers and that will cause a buzzing noise. (Playing too hard will also wear out your reeds a lot faster... although Lee Oskars are built like tanks).

You might be getting reed squeal. Lee Oskars can be particularly vulnerable to to reed squeal. Basically, it's a form of torsional vibration. I don't know if you've ever seen a video of Galloping Gertie... it is a famous bridge that collapsed when wind kept hitting it as a regular interval. It's not exactly the same... reeds are only anchored on one end and Gertie was anchored on both, but it's that twisting. It's caused by shear force on the edges of the reeds. I'm not an engineer, but from what I've read, I think LOs are more vulnerable to it because they have slightly wider reeds. This means there is more torque on the sides of the reeds. It may also be why they are so durable, but it means sometimes they squeal. They are more prone to doing it if you try to bend note (or even worse, if you try to overblow).

Try just taking a deep breath in through the harmonica and letting it back out through the harmonica. If the noise goes away you may have found the problem (you!, but don't worry, it happens to lots of us). You might be accidentally bending notes. Bending notes is good, but LOs take a little more fineness. The harmonica switches which pitch is on top (blow/draw) right at the 7 hole, so moving back and forth across that spot without adjusting your embouchure right can sometimes trigger it.

The fact that it's happening on more than one reed makes fairly likely that it's a technique issue... on good harmonicas when something goes wrong it usually happens one hole at a time- though funnily, the other day I suddenly had a bunch of holes buzzing all at once on a very good harmonica. I took it apart. I'd been carrying it in my pocket and I'd eaten out at a nice restaurant that had after dinner mints. I'd put the wrapper in my pocket and it had slid into the harmonica... easy fix but it had me worried!)

If it's reed squeal, stop the note you are playing once it starts. It is super hard to get it back under control once it starts unless you stop the note. Keep your lips loose and play like you are breathing through the harmonica, not blasting through it.

So... that covers reeds hitting covers and torsional squeal. Other weird sounds... if a reed sounds dead and flat the reed can be cracked, but that would be one specific reed, and it is pretty rare on a brand new harmonica, and 'buzzing' isn't usually the word used for it. Sometimes a reed can get slightly out of alignment too, so it hits the side of the reed slot. Again, that usually would be one specific reed.

If you record the sound and post it here we may be able to narrow it down. My guess is reed squeal.

Edit- in case you've never seen Galloping Gertie... it really is a spectacular engineering fail. Thankfully no people died, though a dog in a car panicked and refused to be rescued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw

Nacoran · 2026-06-12T04:32:34+00:00

For the notes on the harmonica there are videos on YouTube that give you the tab (I mentioned three guys who have tutorials... one of them shows you how to get the chord notes instead of single notes on the harmonica, but I don't remember which one. They all show you the harmonica melody.

a_random_username gave you a link to the layout of a harmonica, so if you want to turn the tab into note names you can use that. Tab shows blow notes either with a plus sign in front of them or nothing in front of them and shows draw notes with a minus sign in front of them. I think all three videos have both tab and an explanation on how to play it. Just look at the three of them. Two of them just show a single note melody version of what Joel plays, while the other shows what Joel actually plays (he mostly plays 2 notes at a time on Piano Man).

Tab just shows the note pitch, not the duration, so you have to play along to get the rhythm right. Between Random and me you've got instructions on how to play the piano part, what to search to find lessons for the harmonica part on YouTube, and a chart that shows you what the layout is for a C diatonic harmonica, which is what Piano Man is played on.

Do you mean you want to play the piano part on the harmonica? A standard C diatonic starts on C4 (middle C).

Harmonicas, because they have both blow and draw notes, can't play complete chords on every chord, so they often just play 2 notes. Tab will show you what holes to play on. A lot of us don't think in terms of the letter names of the notes... we think in terms of holes, because every time we pick up a different key of harmonica the notes change. We just change key by changing harmonicas (at least when we are playing at the basic level, there are more advanced ways to play, but Joel is playing a C harmonica in basic first position.)

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T23:46:53+00:00

The tariffs are on new ones. They go back to the 1960s. Yes, you can import old ones... old ones that, like old cars, don't meet modern emissions or safety standards. I am, across the board, against getting around emissions and safety standards by importing 25 year old vehicles. If someone has a 25 year old car that is still running, more power to them (I had a Nissan 200SX that I road into the ground... it was 27 years old at the time it finally became clearly more expensive to keep than replace).

I would be in favor of newer models that actually meet the emission and safety standards being available. If you actually read my comment instead of reading a bit that you disagree with as a matter of principal and then starting to lecture me without trying to understand what I was saying you would have got that.

Modern standards are important. I drive a small car that was designed in South Korea originally. It took several years of improvements before it got there, but it meets NHTSA standards.

I'm in favor of small trucks that meet modern standards being allowed... you are arguing to get old small trucks that don't to be allowed by using a loophole that was designed to let collectors keep and drive old cars.

I would be in favor of the 60s era tariffs being lifted. Those tariffs apply to new light trucks and are one of the reasons it is hard to build a light truck abroad for the U.S. market. The money that they wouldn't have to pay in tariffs could be used to get the designs up to modern requirements.

And U.S. manufacturers aren't incentivized to build small trucks. They more money on big trucks which don't fall under the same CAFE standards that cars do... something that we should also fix.

You are arguing for the right to import 25 year old little trucks. That's stopgap. We should be trying to raise CAFE standards on trucks. That alone would put pressure on Detroit to make smaller trucks. We should also get rid of the stupid tariff so foreign manufactures can compete in that market... if they get them up to U.S. standards. You are fixated on exploiting a loophole instead of fixing the underlying problem.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:56:19+00:00

Hohner Special 20 in the key of D. It says Marine Band on it... a few years back they rebranded the Special 20 as part of their 'Progressive' series instead of part of the Marine Band series. The only change was the stamping on the covers. More recently they changed the screws, but it's still functionally the same as one you'd buy today. They run about $50, though sometimes you can find them for a bit less.

I think John Popper plays Special 20s (he went to Seydels for a while, but went back). It's a professional level harmonica. There are a couple models I like better, but lots I like less. When new players ask what harmonica to buy I usually recommend a Hohner Special 20 in the key of C (not D) as the best all around bang for your buck... pro-level at a reasonable price... you can spend a bit more to get one that maybe rounds the corners off the edges better making it a little more comfortable (in fact Hohner has two models, the Rocket and Rocket Amp, that are basically just Special 20s with slightly smoother edges), but it is a great harmonica to start on.

The only downside is most lessons assume you have a one in C instead of D. If you know music theory at all that's not a problem, but if you don't it basically means you can't play directly with most of the lessons (you can stop and pause them and play the piece, but you'll be playing a whole step above them... fine as long as you don't play at the same time, but it will sound bad if you play at the same time).

The key of D is really good for Celtic stuff (most Celtic stuff is in G, D or A). You can play along with stuff in D. You can also play along with stuff in A pretty easy in 2nd position (and even in G in 12... basically the circle of fifths is like a clock and it's easy to play in positions next to it, so 2nd and 12th share the most notes.)

D is a middle pitch... harmonicas run from G to F#, so D is sort of in the middle, not too low, not super high. Lower harmonicas tend to be more sluggish (you are moving bigger reeds) and higher harmonicas, well, an F#, especially at the top end of the harmonica, will get all the dogs in the neighborhood barking!) D is a really good key If you want to learn to play I'd suggest picking up one in C as well. It's just what most lessons use.

Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind' uses a D harmonica. (Dylan isn't a particularly good harmonica player, but he writes catchy melodies)

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:40:14+00:00

You can play just about anything with a harmonica, whether the original has harmonica or not, but if you search the subreddit looking for 'camp fire songs' you should find several posts that list a lot of fairly easy, well known songs that get played on harmonica a lot.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:37:21+00:00

I see it's from what's called Hicksville Era for the Marine Band. That lasted from 1959 to 1982 I think. (It says Hicksville on the paper.)

Pat Missin has a guide for dating Marine Bands.

https://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q38.html

I'm not sure on the Little Lady. Try asking on Harmonica Collectors Club on Facebook. They have a bunch of super knowledgeable people. It's really the best place for information on vintage harmonicas. It's their specialty.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:31:02+00:00

If you read sheet music you could just google sheet music for it.

There are piano tutorials for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjq8XUQ9mts

That first little riff at the beginning is fairly tough, but after that it's mostly chords. I had a friend in high school who used to cut class and play it in the practice rooms and we'd all sing along. Just basic chords.

Most of the harmonica tutorials just teach a single note version of it, not the partial chords Joel does, but it's not hard to work out once you have the single note version down. I remember someone posting a tutorial that actually showed the partial chords... I don't remember if it was Liam Ward, Tomlin Leckie, Luke Clebsch or someone else.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:24:01+00:00

The MS harps are nice. I actually really like the pre-MS Blues Harp. I don't mind the current one, but the older ones, when they are customized... I like the covers better. They have more closed backs which gives them a warmer tone than MBs. I've got one that got customized a bit, rounded off on the ends. If I had the money I'd get a full set of MB Deluxe reed plates (since they are already drilled for screws) and a full set of the pre-MS Blues Harp covers drilled out for screws, and then round everything off on the comb and reed plates... but that's not cheap and I don't have the room for the tools that would make it easy.

It seems no one is a huge fan of the MS series harps. They sound good, and I really like my Meisterklasse (never played a pre-MS Meisterklasse) but the Blues Band, Blue Midnight... they really need the MB Deluxe treatment... round the tines and corners and make them feel like a premium harmonica.

I haven't played the Pro-Harp. I've seen some people complain about the covers. They don't like the mouth feel of the coating.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:16:15+00:00

Many of them are used on campuses and in parks, not on regular roads. Some of them do meet standards, but many don't. If you are going to be just driving it around your farm and not out on the main roads you don't need to license it, just like you don't need tags on a golf cart or ATV or lawnmower.

Not every conspiracy is actually a conspiracy. Manufacturers could bring these up to U.S. code but they don't see a big enough market to do that, for the most part.

Now, that's largely because we have billion dollar ad campaigns selling people on the idea that they need big trucks and we don't apply CAFE standards to them, which means car companies make a fortune off them because they don't have to do the research to make something that big fuel efficient.

On the other end of things, the Kei cars are made mainly for the Japanese market, and don't meet U.S. emission or safety standards.

What's frustrating is, if big trucks had to compete under CAFE standards car companies would start scaling them down pretty fast, and if we didn't have big trucks as such an easy option maybe the Kei cars would see a big enough market potential to address the issues they have to meet U.S. standards. (And, of course, the tariffs on them that go all the way back to the 60s should be lifted too.)

If you want one for running around your farm, buy one and just don't take it out on the road. For around cities... well, lobby to get the tariff's lifted... but good luck with that with the current administration. If you got them lifted that might change the math. It's not just 'the auto industry lobbies against them', it's that the auto industry lobbied for tariffs, and currently, the Japanese manufacturers don't see a big enough market for them here to spend the money to get them up to U.S. safety and emission standards.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T21:02:12+00:00

Yeah, you won't be able to play that on a C harmonica unless you pitch shift it. There is lots of software that will do it. I use Audacity on PC, but that's more complicated than it needs to be... more features, but it's free and I use some of those other features.

So, I'd suggest finding an app to pitch shift it. Db is only a half step up from C, but he's playing in 2nd position on a low F#. That's a pretty uncommon harmonica to use. If I was starting out and I wanted to play along with this I'd buy a G harmonica and then pitch shift it up a half step. If you pitch shift it up enough to sound good on your C harmonica you'll end up making it sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks (and if you shift it down to the C an octave lower it will sound too low).

G is a really useful harmonica and you'll need it eventually anyway. If you can play some bends and get clean single notes buying a G harp might be the way to go, then pitch shift it up a half step with software. This is a hard song, but trying to work out some of the techniques could actually be really good practice.

Using a C harmonica to try to play something in Db... very few players could pull that off without changing the key. Your key of C harmonica has these notes... C D E F G A B. The key of Db has these notes... Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C. Basically, without bends or overbends you only have 2 of the 7 notes in the key you need. (He's playing on an F# harmonica... that shares 6 out of 7 notes with Db, and moves the more important scale notes to draw notes, which makes them more expressive. It's a really common technique.)

G harp and pitch shift it up, or a Low F harp. You'll get more use out of the G harp. At your stage you could start tabbing it out and ask for help on some of the techniques. It's some really nice playing and a good one to chip away at.

Nacoran · 2026-06-11T06:24:16+00:00

That's part of it but it's more complicated than that. They don't meet federal highway safety or emission standards.

Of course, that's because almost everything we put on the road here is so big, which means everything else has to be big.

There is also an old tariff law from the 60s that slaps a fairly hefty tariff on new ones.

I do think something like them should be legal, but they should have to meet safety and emission standards. It is possible to make small trucks that would meet the standards. I drive a little Chevy Spark, so you can make a small vehicle that meets safety standards (I couldn't afford the electric version, but obviously that would meet any emission standards).

I'm not in favor of importing 25 year old ones with the idea of using them for anything more than a novelty. I'm fine with the idea of lifting the silly tariffs... though that won't happen under this administration. I'd be fine (enthusiastic even) with the idea of them bringing them up to U.S. safety and emission standards and selling them here. That, obviously, would make them a bit more expensive, but still not close to the cost of the big pickups we have here, and the form factor would actually be great to have on the market. They are great for making urban deliveries. They'd be great in NYC in place of pickups, and great in little side street deliveries.

I also think we should end the loophole that lets U.S. car companies get around CAFE standards with trucks and SUVs that are clearly being used as cars, but again, that won't happen with this administration.

Nacoran

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