Introduction

I started to learn how to play a “mouth organ” as a 9 year old in the late 1950s. In hindsight, I am so pleased that my first instrument was a 12 hole chromatic harmonica because the pattern of notes of a scale are identical over each of the three octaves. In a 10 hole diatonic harp the notes of a scale over one octave can be played with the same pattern from hole 4 to hole 8, but the notes below hole 4 require precise bending not only once, but twice on some holes in order to play a scale at a lower octave. Learning to play well on a diatonic harp is much more difficult for a beginner.

Most beginners start out on a diatonic harp because they are so much cheaper than a chromatic harmonica. For example a decent diatonic harp (e.g. Lee Oskar) currently costs about NZ $60, whereas a decent 12 hole chromatic harmonica (e.g. Chromonica 270 by Hohner) costs about NZ $300. A decent 16 hole chromatic harmonica (e.g. The Larry Adler Professional 16 by Hohner) costs much more.

From the outset I tried to play pure single notes on my chromatic harmonica instead of playing multiple and adjacent notes (chuffing like a train) as most kids are prone to do when first learning. One day a few months after starting to learn how to play I realised that I knew where the notes were and from then onwards if I could whistle a melody, then I could play the melody.

Using the slide which raises all notes by one semi-tone was more of a challenge. Some melodies require repeated practice to know which hole to play, when to use the slide, and whether to suck or blow. My chromatic harmonica was a standard harmonica tuned to the scale of C. As a youngster I initially practiced playing up and down the scale of C, but after I had mastered this scale I found it too boring to continue practicing scales. In hindsight I regret that I was never introduced to practicing the chromatic scale (all semitones in a sequence) at an early age, and even decades later I have never practiced playing different scales which are possible to be played on a standard chromatic harmonica. Whenever I have wanted to play a melody in a different scale for variation, I have simply played a diatonic harp in that scale. I have a full set of Blues Band diatonic harps by Hohner for that purpose.

There are chromatic harmonicas in alternative scales to C, but to have a full set of chromatic harmonicas in each of the 12 scales would be a very expensive option. Practicing the chromatic scale on a standard chromatic harmonica is therefore an enormous advantage in learning how to locate and play each and every possible semi-tone. However, apart from finger dexterity, it is both visually and mentally far simpler to play each of the 12 possible scales on a keyboard as opposed to doing the same on a chromatic harmonica because the pattern of notes in each scale on a standard chromatic harmonica are different. The C scale requires no use of the slide, some scales require a minimal use of the slide, and some scales require multiple use.

A slide in a chromatic harmonica raises each note by one semi-tone. At times when playing a melody in a different key, I wish there was a second slide to lower each note by one semi-tone. This is where the DM48 Digital Chromatic Harmonica (MIDI Wind Controller) enters the story. The 12 hole DM48 can be preset to play in any scale and a second button can be preset to lower all notes by one semi-tone (or more) or raise and lower all notes by one or more octave. Being a MIDI wind controller, the DM48 can be played as any instrument in an orchestra and the sounds it can generate are limited only by the synthesiser that is used in conjunction.

One big advantage for me in playing the DM48 is that I don’t like the shrill sound of a chromatic harmonica so close to my head unless I am playing in a stairwell or carpark building where there is more indirect reflected sound coming to my ears. After developing a mild form of tinnitus a few years ago I have practiced playing my chromatic harmonicas and diatonic harps less and less frequently. I have been waiting for more than 5 years to be able to play a MIDI wind controller in the form of a chromatic harmonica so that I can hear myself playing from a loudspeaker across the room instead of hearing the instrument directly adjacent to my ears.

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Music Introduction