Harmonica

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What bands have great use of harmonica? What albums? My girlfriend got me one for my birfday in the key of "A". Apparantly, the guy at Sam Ash convinced her that was the norm, but I think I might've preferred an "E" since guitars start and end there.

― , Friday, 6 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Forget rock. You need to learn blues. And an A harmonica has A as the major scale, but you can play "cross harp" to do the blues E, or "slant harp" to do a minor C. So "A" really is the norm for playing along with most stuff on E.

― Sterling Clover, Friday, 6 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, so what albums? I know I hates a lot of blues, but when I hear it done right, I like it a lot. Usually, there's no harmonica, though. All guitar noodlin'. I've heard harmonicas sound like accordians, saxes and cellos on certian blues-y rock albums, but I wish I knew more. I think it sounds cool as shit. Fills out songs nicely, except when heard in Blues Traveller, of course. I don't like them. I learned to play a little kid C harmonica, so maybe the A is just the thing I need once I start using it.

― , Friday, 6 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My long time pet theory - the harmonica solo was to the 90's as the saxophone solo was to the 80's. We need a new kind of solo this decade - methinks. Perhaps the kazoo...

― Kim, Friday, 6 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Look for a best-of by Little Walter on Chess. In addition to being a great harmonica player, those 50s Chess records have such an incredible sound. Warm and dirty. I can't think of any rock band that consistantly uses harmonica in an interesting way. I like the sound on "Midnight Rambler" by the Stones.

― Mark Richardson, Saturday, 7 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

UK punk destroyed the harmonica: it drove all "blues" content out of rock in the name of authenticity (ain't no delta in hersham etc etc)

On the 38 bus route 1998-2000, the young black (v.cute) bus conductor gave the best "free lunch" harmonica - unaccompanied, obviously, during rides when the bus was more than half-empty, and he had time to relax and play - that _i've_ ever heard, post-stevie wonder bird- broken self-absorbed music-for-forgetting-you're-a-bus-conductor to.

mid-2000, the bus company - arriva - decided to put their weight behind him as a mini-celeb. He released a single ("My Girl Lollipop"), outed his popstar name (Duke Baysee - a worse name than arriva, frankly), and, well, began building his fan-base: little in-bus flyers (designed, to look at them, by arriva) saying stuff like, "Duke Baysee will be turning on the Xmas Lights in Eltham, dec 21: expected attendance, 15000" - like we'd be more likely go to eltham if we knew that 14999 other people had the same idea...

but the play itself - esp.before the cack-handed bid for official celeb-hood - was just pretty and bluesy and care-free and mournful, a weird little semi-unknown pleasure and who'deverhavethunk it on a London bus. I don't blame him for wanting out, and no reason why he shd be remotely loyal to his "roots" - ie the 38's transient population. It's not as if we were paying him, or as if i'd given him more positive feedback than smiling to myself while he played. Fuck.

― mark s, Saturday, 7 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like the use of the harmonica on the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers first album, and "poor boy blues" by Poison.

― jel, Saturday, 7 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

stevie wonder. duh.

― ethan, Saturday, 7 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Once I Was" by Tim Buckley has a great harmonica part, as well as some other instruments- beautiful textures. I'm not sure that's what you're looking for though... Isn't there harmonica in "Train In Vain"?

― Keiko, Sunday, 8 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Charlie Musselwhite. Paul Butterfield. Little Walter. Sonny Boy Williamson.

― Sterling Clover, Sunday, 8 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Captain Beefheart's "Diddy Wah Diddy". Low-down and dirty harp on the intro and at various points throughout.

― Dr. C, Sunday, 8 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Me and the Major", Belle and Sebastian.

Hey, I like it. But then I'm too young to remember the Housemartins.

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 8 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Black Sabbath.

― Tim Baier, Monday, 9 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ultramarine's "No Time".

Kahimi Karie's "A Fantastic Moment".

And Mr Bloe's "Groovin' With Mr Bloe", which Cedric Collingford no doubt played on a Dansette in his prep school dormitory, dreaming of Catweazle.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 9 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree with le Carmody about the B&S, and I like some of the Housemartins' harmonic stuff too. 'The Mighty Ship, for instance, is probably underrated as a disco track.

But what about Johnny Marr? 'Still Ill', 'Hand In Glove', 'Slow Emotion Replay'! I think that he, as much as anyone, reasserted the cool melancholy vibe, as against the pure blues vibe, of the harmonica.

I am very, very pro-harmonica. Let's talk about Lloyd Cole as well. 'Downtown', 'Sean Penn Blues', 'There For Her', 'What He Doesn't Know', 'For Crying Out Loud', 'Undressed'.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 12 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six years pass...

Can anyone recommend me an album that feature badass punk blues harmonica? As in, motherfucker can BLOW, but it ain't Paul Butterfield? I'm thinking of songs like JSBX's "Dang." Distortion-soaked, maybe, but still pretty reverential to the blues, and still adept.

If I could play music, this is the kind of band I would start.

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 08:56 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.glyphjockey.com/pix07/harmonicats.jpg

The Harmonicats -- Unfortunately, they're not half as good as you'd think.

― christoff, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 15:30 (seventeen years ago)

I like the harmonica solo in Gorilla Biscuits' "Start Today"--a refreshing, and effective, move in one of punk's most conservative subsects.

― Usual Channels, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 15:37 (seventeen years ago)

To Airport: Try Lew Lewis, with or without his "Reformer"

― Mark G, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 15:43 (seventeen years ago)

Airport, you might like Railroad Jerk.

I can't believe this thread has not yet known the ultimate cool that is Slim Harpo.

― dad a, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 04:15 (seventeen years ago)

The Marvelletes' "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" makes great use of the harmonica (I think it might be Motown's only single to use the instrument).

― Belldog, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 04:45 (seventeen years ago)

Can anyone recommend me an album that feature badass punk blues harmonica?

Look for the Slammin' Watusis self-titled debut - the guy also plays a fine Ayler-esque saxophone. And also certain select songs by Claw Hammer.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 08:30 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.dvdinfo.be/images/reviews/1141-2.jpg

― mentalist, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 12:40 (seventeen years ago)

http://physics.lunet.edu/blues/images/King_Biscuit.jpg

― m coleman, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 13:00 (seventeen years ago)

two years pass...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/arts/music/22adler.html

― Fusty Moralizer (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 23 March 2010 00:44 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

I'm trying to find the harmonica tabs for playing the solo at the end of this song

― speednflames24, Thursday, 15 September 2011 21:51 (thirteen years ago)

I'm trying to find the harmonica tabs for playing the solo at the end of this song

"middle of the road" by Pretenders

― speednflames24, Thursday, 15 September 2011 21:57 (thirteen years ago)

nine years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzln9jXrX_g

― What Does Blecch Mean to Me? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 6 September 2021 19:56 (three years ago)

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