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4 Responses to “What Harmonica Key Is Best For Delta Blues?”

1. Bman says:

   February 6, 2010 at 3:46 PM

   Asking which key would be good… is sort of like asking which string should i play to make it sound best. First you have to know what key the song is in, and then you will take it from there.
   song harp
   A D
   B E
   C F
   D G
   E A
   F A # or Bb
   G C
   Thats how you play cross harp, in case that is what you are asking.
2. Le Deluxe Professionale says:

   February 6, 2010 at 3:59 PM

   There is no right or wrong key for the blues – delta or any other!
   For blues harmonica, you will want to play a harmonica that is 5 half tones higher than the song.
   So if the song is in:
   A use a D harmonica
   B use a E harmonica
   C use a F harmonica
   D use a G harmonica
   E use a A harmonica
   F use a A sharp/B flat harmonica
   G use a C harmonica
   I’m sure you can figure out the in between keys.
   It may be tough to make delta blues without a delta… keep this in mind.
3. billybud says:

   February 6, 2010 at 8:14 PM

   Diatonic harmonicas come in different keys. OK, you get that. But do you understand that no matter which key harmonica you pick up, the interrelationships between notes on that given harmonica are the same interrelationships no matter which one you play?
   So, if you learn to play on one key, you can switch to other keys and the patterns that you play remain the same. The difference is in touch/technique, getting used to different keys. I say to start on a C harp, then branch out.
   Blues can be played in all 12 musical keys. There’s no “best” key. There are, however, more “commonly used” keys. The most common keys that guitar players tend to like are E, G, D (slide) and A.
   As noted above, if you are playing blues harp in 2nd position (look it up) you’d use the keys of A, C, G, D respectively.
   Most harmonica instruction tends towards using C harps. That’s a great place to start. Then get others in the same order I noted above.
   If you really want to play “delta blues” and you know what that means, you might want to play more with slide guitar. Many slide pickers tune to open D tuning. A “G” harp would suit you well for that.
4. Anonymous says:

   February 6, 2010 at 11:29 PM

   I think C would be a starting point