bending notes on chromatic harmonica

Subject: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 08:02 AM

I normally play traditional irish music on a diatonic harmonica [ i was a 2004 munster champion ]. I have recently been experimenting with a chromatic , and was interested to see a comment elsewhere that you cant bend notes on a chromatic, this is not my experience,as well as the slide ,there is another way.
any harmonica players out there with opinions, I seem to remember Little Walter doing it on a chro.Dick Miles

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Scrump
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 08:12 AM

Interesting - doesn't it work the same way, whether the harmonica's chromatic or not? I'll be interested to see the responses.

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 12:02 PM

I find it a bit harder to bend on the Chromatic (stiffer reeds?), but certainly not impossible. Captain Birdseye is correct, Little Walter used both chromatic and diatonic and sounded pretty bluesy on both.

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 12:51 PM

I seem to remember seeing Stevie Wonder doing it on a TV prog.
Giok

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Tim theTwangler
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 01:43 PM

Hey I got bought one o them mouth orgasms with a slide I dont play either type of instrument got any tips on how to get started.
I all ready had the "YOU SUck and blow" advice.
but that was to do with my guitar playing.

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 06:44 PM

G'day TTT,

Buy the book (any good book ... on playing chromatic)- or find a good player / teacher.

I can't give tips from personal experience ... the learning stages were too far back in the misty past!

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 09:05 PM

Tried my two single and one double slide chromos (don't usually use them, never thought about it, since it is so easy) ....the bending seems to work just fine....some past threads covered the technique.

Maybe yours is too new?

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: number 6
Date: 19 Sep 06 - 09:55 PM

I remember seeing some film clips of the Harmonicats when I was a kid ... they were bending the notes.

sIx

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Sep 06 - 05:28 AM

TO GUEST GARGOYLE , I never said i had any problem, bending the notes on a chromatic.

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 20 Sep 06 - 11:04 PM

Eyeing the Bird's Butt?

You originated a thread thread for a "problem" you do not have?

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Or perhaps, you just want to chew on two-year-old Munster?

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Scrump
Date: 21 Sep 06 - 04:33 AM

If you read the Captain's original post, he says he was "interested to see a comment elsewhere that you cant bend notes on a chromatic, this is not my experience"

So he doesn't have the problem himself, but it seems someone else does.

Not sure where that leaves us?

I think the ease of bending notes depends on the individual instrument though, as I have various harmonicas (including a chromatic one) and I do find that some are more difficult to bend notes on than others. I assume it's to do with the flexibility of the reeds or something?

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Sep 06 - 07:06 PM

I just wanted to make sure that I wasnt a genius.
this person is a concertina expert on a site called concertina net, but clearly is misinformed about harmonicas.

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 04:42 PM

Where can I get some real practical guidnce on how to bend nots on a chromatic harmonica? Thanks Bear

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 08:05 PM

Hi, Bear -
Pub bending notes in the search box in the upper-right corner of this page, and you'll find a lot. I found this thread particularly helpful. When you get to the thread, use [CTRL-F] and search for bend.

Hope that helps.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Smokey.
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 09:47 PM

Slight departure, but is it possible to bend notes on a concertina like you can with an accordion?

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Big Ballad Singer
Date: 21 Aug 11 - 01:07 PM

Bear/everyone,

You can also search the archives at

Harp-L list (Harmonica enthusiasts' site)

where there are many threads about this subject and many others pertinent to folk and blues harmonica playing.

Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Aug 11 - 12:20 AM

Just to add another vote - although I've never been particularly serious about my harmonica playing I've messed with them some since I paid 50 cents for my first Marine Band. (That was the going rate then, but I'll let you guess how many centuries ago it was.)

I bought a Hohner chromatic and played it some, and can attest that I could "bend" notes in the same way as on all the others, although the reeds were significantly stiffer and the slide spring was what I thought was a little on the "strong" side, making it a lot less fun to play than most of the others I had.

It was used occasionally but rarely for a dozen years, but died in the case after being untouched for about 10 years, from an exceedingly large ugly crack in the reed block. (I could have had a perfectly playable chromatic 40 years if I hadn't opened the box, of course; but once I saw the crack I didn't have one anymore.)

Most of the diatonic ones have been quite amenable to bending and other strange and fantastic things. Possibly the easiest for spectacularly bent notes was the "Echoharp" that had two reeds per note, slightly mistuned to produce a slight "warble" in the notes. The reeds were quite soft, which seemed to help, but the way in which the two slightly "detuned" each other may also have contributed to the ease which you could "pull the note" off normal pitch.

I think one of my kids probably borrowed the Echo, and although it's been gone for about 35 years I'm sure it will come back. I'll remember to refresh my memory and will report back when it does. ... Of course. ... Yeah. ... Sure.

John