Why Play Chromatic Harmonica?

[Gnarly He Man]

Why not?
It’s portable, affordable (yeah right) and sounds like the human voice.
Impress your friends! Make new friends! Clog a wind saver!
OK, I’m done, what do you think?

[Gnarly He Man]

I jump right in and comment on my own post.

It’s therapeutic.
It’s visually intriguing, great for catching the attention of toddlers.
Doubles as a self defense weapon in a pinch.

[Vale]

Let me start by saying that I love the sound of this little instrument.

As far as choosing to try and play it, though, portability is really the winning quality.
I always have one (or more) with me, even if just a 10-holer, and I can practice or play (almost) anywhere, at (almost) any time. Due to work, travel, etc.
I would never be able to practice regularly with a less portable instrument.

[Rich35]

  Top of the Day All
  I Love my Chromatics not much of diatonic note bender ,Chros You just push
 a Button, Much Easier.
  And your  now get Chromatics with out flaps or valves ,
      Rich

[John Broecker]

Because it's FUN!

JB

[Gnarly He Man]

Added a poll (because I can!)

[brorat]

I play for lots of reasons.  Don't have a clue why I decided to get one four years ago, but BOY am I glad I had that wild hair!
If I've had a good day, a stressful, a tiring day ... whatever kind of day I've had, I can go into my little office around 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon and start playing.  Within 30 minutes of playing old favorites, learning new favorites, practicing (yeah, right!) ... my day is magically transformed into a relaxing and calming time. 
I don't know.  I just LOVE the little buggers!

[Age]

For me, it was of course, the sound of the Harmonicats, and Leo Diamond. Never even heard of Larry Adler or anyone else for that matter; just the "Cats" maybe a little Johnny Pulao, and Leo Diamond.

The portability went without saying. And finally, the cost. My first one cost my dad five bucks and the next one, (a Hohner 64) I bought myself for either 12 or 16 bucks (I forget which) of my own shoe shine money.  https://www.SlideMeister.com/ajfedor.html

[wolfman]

 Because i wanted to.

  Roman

[The Lone Harper]

I've always liked the sound of the harmonica and get a lot of pleasure out of playing it. Also I have an interest in the instrument for its own sake such as new designs, modifications, what different approaches other players are taking, etc.

[Grizzly]

I anticipated arthritis would eventually cripple my hands, putting an end to my flute playing. So I dusted off a harmonica and resumed playing (after decades). The hands are pretty gnarled now, but I can still move around on the flute. Meanwhile, I've accumulated several chromatics. I don't play much on either at this point. Been preparing some of my choral compositions for publication. I hope to get back to playing more sometime.

Tom

[beads]

My story is similar to Tom's. I played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle for decades but started having hand problems. Got pretty good at diatonic but was frustrated by the missing notes. Plus it is very hard to use sheet music with many diatonics in various keys and tunings.  Chromatic has all the notes and works well with sheet music. I can still play my short scale nylon string guitar, a Cordoba Mini II, but not a full size or steel strings. Chromatic has allowed me to continue to enjoy making music into my golden years.

[streetlegal]

I got my first chromatic because I can't sing and it seemed to me the instrument that would get me closest to that experience of singing - something about it being right there in your mouth and of course the breath control thing.

[Age]

My story is similar to Tom's. I played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle for decades but started having hand problems. Got pretty good at diatonic but was frustrated by the missing notes. Plus it is very hard to use sheet music with many diatonics in various keys and tunings.  Chromatic has all the notes and works well with sheet music. I can still play my short scale nylon string guitar, a Cordoba Mini II, but not a full size or steel strings. Chromatic has allowed me to continue to enjoy making music into my golden years.

Yeah, my Ukulele gets more "practical" every day for that same reason, bro! I think my next "stringed" instrument is prolly gunna be baritone Uke.

[Gnarly He Man]

I still play guitar better than harmonica, but it doesn’t fit in my pocket.

[Grizzly]

My story is similar to Tom's. I played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle for decades but started having hand problems. Got pretty good at diatonic but was frustrated by the missing notes. Plus it is very hard to use sheet music with many diatonics in various keys and tunings.  Chromatic has all the notes and works well with sheet music. I can still play my short scale nylon string guitar, a Cordoba Mini II, but not a full size or steel strings. Chromatic has allowed me to continue to enjoy making music into my golden years.

Yeah, my Ukulele gets more "practical" every day for that same reason, bro! I think my next "stringed" instrument is prolly gunna be baritone Uke.

Baritone ukes are fun! I've had one since high school. Kinda like a tenor guitar. Arthur Godfrey played a tenor, saying he didn't need the bottom strings of a guitar, because he had a very good bass sideman.

Tom

[Age]

Yeah, here's my little guy.
Started playing guitars when I was about sixteen but harmonicas at about eight'ish (I thinque)

[brorat]

Had a nice Washburn guitar that I bought in 1978. When I took up chromatic harmonica four years ago, I gave the guitar to my grand daughter😱😱😂😂

[Age]

Yeah, I have some tear-jerking guitar stories too, but I can not recall any bad Chromatic stories. I had a few just kinda wear out or crack and stuff (before I got smart and quit buying that kind, ) but so far I still have all my old friends, for sentimental reasons, I guess)  including the one I bought myself when I was eleven. (my first love) That old bugger actually still plays pretty well. The only one I ever just flat-out threw away was a Chromonica II or whatever (that silly, leaky monster with the two buttons) but I still have the little leather pouch.

[Age]

Maybe I'm dreamin' but I still kinda hope the day comes where they start using a well-played Chromatic instead of the obligatory/default "sexophone" in the movies where the stereo-typical "traffic stopping" girl walks into the room. You know, like "Who killed Roger Rabit"

[beads]

My story is similar to Tom's. I played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle for decades but started having hand problems. Got pretty good at diatonic but was frustrated by the missing notes. Plus it is very hard to use sheet music with many diatonics in various keys and tunings.  Chromatic has all the notes and works well with sheet music. I can still play my short scale nylon string guitar, a Cordoba Mini II, but not a full size or steel strings. Chromatic has allowed me to continue to enjoy making music into my golden years.

Yeah, my Ukulele gets more "practical" every day for that same reason, bro! I think my next "stringed" instrument is prolly gunna be baritone Uke.

Baritone ukes are fun! I've had one since high school. Kinda like a tenor guitar. Arthur Godfrey played a tenor, saying he didn't need the bottom strings of a guitar, because he had a very good bass sideman.

Tom

Google says a baritone uke scale is 19 or 20 inches. The Cordoba Mini II has a scale length of 22 7/8 inches. It's tuned like a standard guitar. It's great for what I use it for. The tone suffers if you play with a heavy right hand, but otherwise it sounds nice. I suppose it would compare well to a baritone uke.

[Age]

I was a big (I think) 3 or 4 year old Arthur Godfrey fan. I had (I'm pretty sure) all of his records. I just know I called him 'Arfy-Garfy" so I musta been pretty young.
I still remember stuff like She's Too Fat, Lonely Little petunia, Heap Big Smoke, The Thousand Island song, and Slap her down again Paw!,

[RichChrome]

As some of you may know I'm a long standing guitarist but over the years I've wanted to play a solo instrument as well, I think given a choice years ago it would probably have been a tenor saxophone. But for a variety of reasons, expence being one of them, that did not happen. In any event it occurred to me that I had played chromatic harmonica in high school. So I went out and bought a Hohner 270 and so began the journey. I believe that this forum has been responsible for guiding me through the process of learning to play the harmonica, I'm never going to be a top level player, but I do have a repertoire of about 50 song that I can play with minimal errors and glitches, all played on a C chrome. I can also play in multiple keys all learned during the pandemic, the flat keys anyway, but the sharp keys need a lot of work. A number of members on the forum have been quite outspoken on being able to play in every key and this I found very motivating. So those are my main reasons playing, and now while still trying to get better ( practice, practice, practice) and trying become more accomplished with better technique and tone, I am really enjoying playing the instrument. Those are my reasons and the journey continues.....

[Age]

And one of the coolest things I've learned (that we all can get from simply applying ourselves) is "the better we get - the easier it is to get even better." Accomplishment has a way of proliferating; maybe "cascading," or self-replicating are other descriptive terms. "Difficulty" gets replaced with enjoyment and we're on our way to bigger and better things, eh?

Improvement has a strange "geographic" element built into it.  Stuff that we used to feel would always be totally impossible, no matter how long we tried to do it, now seems more attainable and less intimidating, and it just keeps getting better. All with an instrument that we can carry on our person everywhere we go. How cool is that??

[Grizzly]

"All with an instrument that we can carry on our person everywhere we go."

Reminds me of footing it to marching band rehearsal in college with my piccolo in its case in my back pocket. My lyre for music was attached to a big under-arm paddle, bigger than my horn. I was so cool.

Tom

[Age]

Yeah, I was actually playing with the Forest City Stompers (a loud Dixieland Band) just below Cleveland's Public square back in the sixties.  When they played "When the Saints go Marching In" and marched around the whole lounge, I couldn't leave the stage, cuz all we had back then were "wired" mics and there's no way anyone would hear my 64. Maybe if I had a CX back then, I wouldda had half a fightin' chance.

[John Broecker]

All of the above reasons, plus

Who could stop me?

JB

[Gnarly He Man]

but the sharp keys need a lot of work.

My solution for that problem (i’m a guitarist too) is to have another instrument tuned a whole step higher.
A regular D Harmonica is too low, so I tune an A to orchestra bebop in D starting on A.
Sharp keys are common on guitar—but E A and D become D G and C, much easier!

[Wendellfiddler]

Sadly, in a way, I started playing the chromatic because I was encountering physical limitations playing other instruments I use.  But after a while it became my favorite instrument to play and practice with because it's convenient, versatile and it seems to suit me....  Don't know exactly why, but at least in certain styles of music, particularly jazz, I play it better than the guitar, fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, and banjo - all of which i have played and performed with professionally or semi-professionally.  And chances are it will be the instrument I will most likely still be able to play as I age.. 

I experienced an awful fall in early July - broke 5 ribs, lacerated my liver, and eventually had a minor stroke and two grand mal seizures.  I can still practice and perform on the chromatic - but not yet with any other instrument.  It's been nearly two months and my back is just getting healthy enough to maybe play the fiddle next week!  But in the meantime I've learned two interesting tunes on the chromatic - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat amd Lines for Lyons as well as spending time refining several Hoagy Carmichael tunes. 

If it weren't for the chromatic, I might not have been able to play any music for at least a month - maybe longer!

Carry on, Y'all

doug tanner

[brorat]

Wendellfiddler!  I'm so sorry to hear about your fall and the impact it has had on you!  Sounds like you're beginning to recover, and you're making the most of a bad situation.  Post up a recording of your newly learned tunes so we can have a listen.
Take care of yourself, enjoy music however you can, and ... WATCH YOUR STEP!