bending notes on chromatic harmonica

19 Sep 06 - 08:02 AM (#1838186)
Subject: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: The Sandman

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

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19 Sep 06 - 08:12 AM (#1838193)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Scrump

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

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19 Sep 06 - 12:02 PM (#1838373)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST,Jim

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.

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19 Sep 06 - 12:51 PM (#1838405)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: John MacKenzie

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

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19 Sep 06 - 01:43 PM (#1838439)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Tim theTwangler

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.

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19 Sep 06 - 06:44 PM (#1838678)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Bob Bolton

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

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19 Sep 06 - 09:05 PM (#1838738)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST,.gargoyle

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

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19 Sep 06 - 09:55 PM (#1838761)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: number 6

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

sIx

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20 Sep 06 - 05:28 AM (#1838936)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: The Sandman

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

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21 Sep 06 - 04:33 AM (#1839774)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Scrump

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?

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21 Sep 06 - 07:06 PM (#1840366)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: The Sandman

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.

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20 Aug 11 - 04:42 PM (#3210057)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: GUEST

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

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20 Aug 11 - 08:05 PM (#3210154)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Joe Offer

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-

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20 Aug 11 - 09:47 PM (#3210195)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Smokey.

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

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21 Aug 11 - 01:07 PM (#3210413)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: Big Ballad Singer

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.

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22 Aug 11 - 12:20 AM (#3210681)
Subject: RE: bending notes on chromatic harmonica
From: JohnInKansas

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

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