DIATONIC VS CHROMATIC HARMONICA MOVIE

So, which of the two is the better instrument? Well, it all depends on your approach to playing music. Tonal quality varies as well, whereby diatonic harmonicas are very dynamic while their chromatic counterparts have minimal tonal variation. Seeing the differences between a diatonic and a chromatic harmonica, you can see why it would be difficult to establish which of the two is better.īoth harmonicas are designed with different users in mind, to suit various styles of music.ĭiatonic harmonicas sound different for over-bent notes, whereas the tonal precision on chromatic harmonicas is spot on for all notes. Owing to their versatility and complexity, Chromatic harmonicas are often much more expensive than their diatonic counterparts. Working pretty much like a piano, a chromatic harmonica is designed to play every tone, and in every octave, including semi-tones.īecause you can play any key and any type of scale, chromatic harmonicas are best suited for intricate melodies such as those found in Jazz and Classical music. The key-specific nature of a diatonic harmonica is why they are popularly used for Rock, Blues, Country, and Pop music.Ĭhromatic harmonicas come in a variety of designs that can have 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 holes. The 10 holes offer the player 19 notes that can be played in a 3-octave range. Therefore, diatonic harmonicas are available in all 12 keys of music. The design of these harmonicas is such that the player can only play in a specific key. I play both, and choose whichever one works best for any particular tune.Check today's price Which Is Better Diatonic or Chromatic Harmonica?ĭiatonic harmonicas have a simple, compact 10-hole design. That added learning curve is probably just as big a reason as any that fewer players take up the chromatic. Chromatic requires you to actually learn 12 different keys if you're going to use it as your main axe. While a few brave souls put tin the work to learn all the bends, overblows, and different scales to play the diatonic in all 12 keys, most learn to play in two or three key positions, and then just switch harps to change keys. I've been on shows with 7 or 8 other harmonica players and stuck to chromatic just to stand out, and ended up getting the most house, partly from being different but mostly from just playing well.ĭiatonic allows you to learn one key position, then just change the key of the harmonica to change the key you're playing in.

And sometimes playing chromatic can actually give you an edge. After those two minutes are up, you'd better have some playing and performing skills to keep the audience from tiring of you. Harmonica – both diatonic and chromatic – has a built-in excitement factor that lasts about two minutes with an audience, even for a bad player. Compared to the bendy sound of the diatonic, blues chromatic played chordally sounds like a huge organ.Īs to the diatonic getting more crowd excitement, that depends entirely on the skill of the player. Many blues harmonica artists play a little chromatic and use it to add variety to their sound.

DIATONIC VS CHROMATIC HARMONICA MOVIE

Toots Thielemans was an amazing jazz harmonica player, but also appeared on movie and TV soundtracks and worked with singers such as Billy Joel, Ella Fitzgerald, and Paul Simon. And his playing is funky, soulful, tasty!

Stevie Wonder plays great in many popular styles, both on his own and backing a wide range of other artists, from Elton John to Sting to James Taylor to – well, the list is long. The following clips - out of hundreds of potential examples - all feature improvised music on chromatic, mostly accompanying singers: True, if someone is doing a school recital or playing classical music on the harmonica they're likely to be paying chromatic (although I heard a Mozart concerto played on diatonic when I was judging a competition in Germany once). Chromatic isn't just for classical or just 'recital' music - it's used plenty for improvisation and used in a broad array of styles.

Diatonic vs chromatic harmonica