If you have a Chromatic Harmonica it will make it challenging to use the majority of techniques on my free online lessons.
Can I Use Any Key Harmonica To Play Along With Your Free Online Harmonica Lessons?
Yes. You can use harmonicas in others keys. The advantage to having a “C” harp is that you when you play along with the audio and video clips on the site you'll be in tune with my guitar and harmonica (because I'll be playing in the key of C).
If you don't have a “C” Harp, instead of playing along with the video/sound clips, I recommend that you play by yourself after each clip is finished.
What Do You Mean When You Say That Harmonicas Are In Different Keys?
The Super Duper Simple Answer I Hope... 
I imagine you might be aware that different notes have different names (i.e. “G”, “A”, “B”, “C”...)
For every different note there's a different key (i.e. The Key of “G” Major, The Key of “A” Major, The Key of “C” Major...) A harmonica that's in the Key of “G” will play the “G” Major scale. A harmonica that's in the Key of “C” will play the “C” Major Scale... and so on. Because there are 12 Major Keys, there are 12 different Major Keys of Harmonica (i.e. “G” Harmonica, “A” Harmonica, “B” Harmonica, “C” Harmonica...) If you want to play along with a guitar player or a piano player, it's important to ask them to tell you the key of the song that they're playing. Once you know the key that the song is in, you can pick up a harmonica that can play in that key. This subject about keys can actually get really complicated but I'm determined not confuse you. If you really want to understand this subject in depth, I suggest you study music theory. I begin to cover the subject in more depth in my lesson: “Beginning Blues, Rock and Country Harmonica: Teach yourself to Jam with Other Musicians."
-Levels 4 and 5
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Can You Help Me Figure Out The Key Of My Harmonica? If you're not sure what key your harmonica is in, look for a single letter printed somewhere on the harp. If you can't find a printed letter, it's probably in the key of C (unless it's an older harp and perhaps the letter could have worn off). Do I Need A Professional Quality Harmonica? If your harp is in the key of “C” but it's not a professional quality model, I strongly recommend that you get started using the harmonica you have now. Then, as soon as possible, acquire a professional quality “C” harp (Note: many professional harmonicas cost around $30, depending on the model). See below for the professional harmonicas I recommend. If saving money is important to you, my favorite economy harp is the Hohner Blues Band. It's a pretty good harp for the money. That being said, if you can afford it, I'm confident you will learn faster with much greater ease on a professional harmonica. Click here to check out my online harp discounts. Why Are You So “Gung-Ho” About The Hohner Special 20? Over 20 years, I have worked with over a thousand harmonica students, and the Special 20 has consistently been easiest harp for my students to learn on. Certain basic techniques can create a lot of frustration for beginning students. I've witnessed that the quality of the harmonica can make a big difference. My general belief is that the more fun and ease a beginning harmonica player experiences, the more likely it will be that the stick with the harp reach their goals. While teaching at the University of Texas at Austin as well as working with my private students, I've witnessed over and over students make major breakthroughs almost immediately once they got their hands on a Special 20. Click here to check out my online harp discounts. What Kind Of Harmonicas Do The Pros Use? Of course it's a matter of personal preference but here's a list of popular harps that I consider extremely high-quality professional instruments: I consider every harp on the list an awesome instrument but some are a lot more challenging for beginners. Next to each harp, I indicated how easy I believe the harp would be for a beginner to learn basic techniques. A rating of “10” indicates the easiest and “1” indicates the hardest to learn on). From Easiest to Hardest: - Hohner Special 20 (Rated 10!)
- Bushman Delta Frost (9.5)
- Suzuki Harp Master (9)
- Lee Oscar (8.75)
- Hohner Golden Melody (8.5)
- Bushman (The Original Soul's Voice) (8)
- Suzuki Promaster (8)
- Hohner Pro Harp (7)
- Hohner Big River (7)
- Hohner Marine Band (7)
- Hohner Blues Harp (7)
- Hohner Meisterclaus (7)
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Which Harmonica Does JP Use?
My favorite harp for the last decade has been the Hohner Special 20. I also really love Lee Oscar's Harmonic-Minor Harps. I've played all the harps in the above list over the years and I enjoy certain aspects of each and every one of them. They all have a unique sound, performance and mouth comfort and over time I encourage find your own personal preference. Click here to check out my online harp discounts.
How Do You Recommend I Take Care Of My Harmonica?
Keep your mouth clean. Keep your harp clean. Keep the harp in its case. When you're done playing, slap out the extra moisture and let the harp dry as quickly as possible. Don't let little kids play you harp with all their might (Blowing hard and aggressively into the harp will cause it to go out of tune over time. I like to keep an extra economy harp around to let others try).
I hope this helps you get you off to a great start with the “Mississippi Saxaphone” (AKA the harmonica) Do You have a Harmonica Key Change Chart?
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