# Guitar/Harmonica and Guitar Combo

!Diatonic Harmonicas.
Image:Cralize

The harmonica is an instrument that has found favour with many
guitarist. The idea evolved from the blues and country and western
musicians of the early part of the 20th century. The role the harmonica
plays in providing another timbre has appealed to many artists.
Musicians such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young have used the combination to
great effect.

Harmonicas exist in four varieties: diatonic, chromatic, tremolo and
chord. The chromatic can play along to music in any key but is harder to
master than the diatonic version. The diatonic harmonica is made to play
in one key and is easier to learn but you will need to buy more than
one. The guitar\'s natural key is E; so buying a diatonic harmonica in
the key of E major would be ideal. The other diatonic harmonicas you
should aim to add to your collection is G major and C major. Diatonic
harmonicas are cheap and it shouldn\'t take long before you have a
collection of harmonicas that cover every key. The tremolo harmonica is
like a diatonic, yet it vibrates and has more vibrato than usual
harmonicas. It is used for orchestra too.Chord harmonicas are very big
and may require multiple people to play and can be even used in the
orchestra at times.They add a touch to a lot of things really.Chord
Harmonicas are very cool,yet very expensive too and they can run in the
thousands when it comes to cost.Some good Chord Harmonicas can cost you
\$2,000 or more depending on the company selling them.

\[\[Image:16-hole chrom 10-hole diatonic.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Chromatic
harmonica and Diatonic harmonica.

`       Image:George Leung]] `

To play both instruments, one would need a way to hold the harmonica
while the hands chord and strum the guitar. This is done by the
harmonica holder, which goes around the neck, allowing the harmonica to
be always in front of your mouth. However, there are a few things to
keep in mind:

-   Instead of moving the harmonica itself, you will now move your head
    in order to play the notes. Due to this limitation the solos you
    \"blow\" will be slower than if you had the harmonica cupped in your
    hands.
-   Hand-related effects, such as hand vibrato, will be unavailable.
    Also, due to the lack of hands, there will be no additional
    resonance from the cupped hands.

Furthermore, since one is multitasking, it\'s best to know how to play
both instruments individually very well, in order to spend less time
trying to find each note and chord. When you buy your first harmonica,
spend some time learning to play it with your hands. Try playing along
to the recordings of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.

The harmonica will usually be played in the 2nd position (of course one
can try other positions). Often the guitar plays the chords, while the
harmonica provides the melody. This is because guitars have a much lower
octave range than the harmonica; furthermore, guitarists can play chords
in different keys easily. Since the harmonica is played in a higher
pitch range, this makes it suitable for melodic lines. Another factor is
the timbre of the harmonica tends to cut through the sound of resonating
guitar chords. Still, this should not stop you reversing the roles, as
long as it sounds pleasing.

It is possible to play chromatic harmonicas with a guitar. This can be
done with the following:

-   Valved Diatonic or XB-40
-   Tombo S-50.
-   Take off the mouthpiece of a **straight tuned** chromatic harp.
    However, one may need to make sure the body\'s edge is smooth

:   

    :   Note: both S-50 and this method require using the lips to block
        the non-sounding row; S-50, due to greater distance between
        rows, is easier at this.

-   Use the handless chromatic; essentially a special mouthpiece that
    move up and down between the rows, controlled by the movement of the
    head.

