What I Wish I Knew When I Wanted My First Chromatic Harmonica
by "G"
Reprinted here by permission of the author

Chromatic means "adj.1. of colour; 2. Music. of scale proceeding by semitones". Chromatic harmonicas are designed to be able to play every tone found in every octave similar to a piano.  There are 12 chromatic tones in an octave. Generally a diatonic key you play guides you as to which of those twelve tones you can play in a song.

Chromatic Harp is another name for Chromatic Harmonica. The Chromonica and also the Chrometta are Hohner models of chromatic harmonicas.  There are several different types of chromatic harmonicas, but the most common have 12 holes or 16 holes and a slide button which raises the pitch of any hole by a semi-tone.

Chromatics usually come in key of C. But for some makes and models you can get them in other keys too. The difference here is which holes play which notes. They still have all 12 tones per octave.  On a typical chromatic you can play 4 tones on one hole with the help of the slide. A 12 hole chromatic has 48 tones. A 16 hole chromatic has 64 tones. This is because for each octave the beginning blow note is the same as the end blow note, and there are two lots of enharmonics or tones that are for all intents and purposes the same.

For diatonic short harp owners: a chromatic's note layout (with the slide out) is the same as holes 4 to 6 repeated every four holes side by side. The slide makes the harp play a semitone higher.  The above is true except: Sometimes the very last hole draw, slide in is a semitone higher than blow, slide in. This is to give a bit of extra range.  There are a number of good books on learning how to play and look after the chromatic harp, a few are listed below.

Slide harps, usually with 10 holes are not the same as normal chromatic harps. They are chromatic, but in a different way. A Koch-Hohner Chromatic is a slide harp. Check this out before buying. Most shops will not accept a harp back after it has been used.

Even the best chromatic harps need a little maintenance and cleaning occasionally, because they have moving parts. This means you will need to pull the harp apart occasionally. This is a necessary part of owning a chromatic harp. Chromatic Harmonicas have windsavers or valves which are used to save breath and quiet the reed opposite the one you are playing. They are usually made up of two white strips of plastic, one soft, with a shorter stiff strip holding it against the reed plate. They are very useful for helping create clean notes and saving your breath.

Valves can wear out or get damaged. You can tell when you start hearing buzzing while playing. Or if you play a hole and the note is slightly muffled until you feel something give, and the note comes out cleanly, known as "popping". Another symptom is getting an irritating metalic ringing when playing a note. All of these symptoms will require you to take your chromatic apart, even partially. With a little practice and care this is not hard and all the above symptoms can be fixed.You will eventually need replacement windsavers. You can get replacement valves from "http://www.hohnerusa.com" but they don't accept credit card. It is possible to make your own valves.

Chromatics with wood combs are harder to maintain and clean that chromatic harps with plastic or metal combs.  Don't apply oil, WD40, CRC oil or any lubricant into the mouthpiece or slide. If the slide is sticking you need to clean the mouthpiece and slide. Quickly dipping just the mouthpiece in water can help to free the slide up. If you must the only safe suggested lubricants are a minute even layer of Vaseline or CRC 808 silicon spray food grade. If you use force to free the slide you can easily wreck it.

Don't eat and drink beverages when playing a chromatic harp. It will mean you have to clean and fix your harp more often. Cleaning your teeth before playing is recommended too.

Chromatic models are either straight tuned or cross tuned. Look through the mouthpiece with the slide out. If the top of all the holes are open its straight tuned. If the exposed part of the holes alternate top & bottom its cross tuned.Cross tuned chromatics were designed to make it easier for beginners to play lower bass notes. They also arguably allow more air get to the reeds allowing better volume. Some argue that cross tunings create more air leakage by design. But these are contentious points at best.   The only sure thing is a straight tuned chromatic slide has a shorter distance to travel than a cross tuned chromatic slide and physics says the less distance to travel the less energy required to get to your destination.

Breath control; Embouchure; how you hold the harp; and cupping is all important to playing chromatic harp well.  The difficulty of any playing technique or musical run has absolutely no relevance to its effectiveness in a musical context, but the more techniques you learn the more flexibility you will have at any given moment as a musician.

Playing harp gets easier the more you practice.

Please Visit G's "HarpOn!" web site for the most comprehensive chromatic site on the web at http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/