Hohner harmonica Piedmont blues set?

Question

I'm in the process of learning the harmonica and am interested in trying out different keys. I currently have a Hohner in C and know that I want an A for sure. I've found the Piedmont blues set and was wondering if it is worth it or if I should just stick to certain keys? When I say worth it, I don't mean monetary because the set is inexpensive, what I mean is how many opportunities are there to use all the keys? Which keys are more commonly used? Oh, my interest is in The Blues, of course. Also, if not Hohner, which brand would you suggest?

Answer 1

I haven't played these, but from everything I've heard/read they are not worth getting. They seem prone to defects, and the plastic housing doesn't sound appealing to me. Several reviewers have said it produces a "plastic" tone.

I would suggest buying keys as you need/want them. Once you start playing regularly, you will go through A and D harps, since you will be playing them more often. You should get those keys next.

As far as brand, some people suggest Lee Oscar's, but I'm not sure whether it is just to be different, or what. Virtually every blues player uses Hohners. Two of the best harp players alive, Tom Ball & Rod Piazza, play Special 20s and Marine Bands respectively.

If you want a case, Hohner has a nice hard shell one (what I use) that holds all 12 diatonic harps and a chromatic.
Fender has a similar one that also holds a bullet mic and cord.

GOOD LUCK :)

Answer 2

If you're learning the harmonica, you should get such a set. If you have different keys, you can play also songs in which there are modulations (a song begins in F and goes over into D) just by changing the harmonica. I had often this problem. By using other-tuned harmonicas you can find out, which key you like the most. They have different characters; I like for example E and G. You must ask a physicist for the reason (temperaments). There are no keys which are unnecessary: Certainly, you won't often use B flat or E. But if there is a short tone (or a chord) you haven't got on the harmonica on which you're usually playing, you can produce it by those lessly used harps.

I've got a plenty of harmonicas from Hohner: a 12-harp blues set, two bigger octave harmonicas and one Tremolo harmonica. The quality is very high. Hohner blues harps are expressly designed for blues techniques like bending (thicker reels asf). The only thing is, that they don't work perfectly anymore after 3-4 years regular usage. Then you have to tune the reels (you can do it yourself by buying a cheap maintenance set). Don't worry about the plastic. It's right that the sound is slightly different without wood, but important are the reels, which I guarantee have better quality.

So, keep on harpin' ;-)

Answer 3

I am not familiar with the set, but the first poster says plastic housing? Good enough for me to say DUMP IT!

Common keys that my harmonica player uses are C D F G A