Musictheory.net is the best site to start learn music theory. It will make you great if you stick with it. When I started reading music, I used piano exercise books that were fairly easy (aluette, aud lang syne, etc.). After being able to read all of them impromptu, move on to christmas carols and then classical music.

I know how to read sheet music, but I've never learned to play harmonica from it. The problem is that the notes would correspond to different holes on each key of harp. It would be like learning to read music for 12 different instruments...And that's just the major key harps. There are also Lee Oskar natural minors, Melody Makers, chromatics, etc. The ideal thing would be to have sheet music with tabs under the notes.

This is a guitar site, but it is also a great place to learn theory if you go to the "Theory" sections in each lesson.



Post Edited (2009-03-25 17:21:33)

Well the notes on a non- C, major scale, diatonic harmonica correspond with the notes of that particular scale. For example, since 4 blow on a C harmonica is C, 4 blow on a Bb scale is Bb. The next note in a C scale, D, would be 4 draw on a C scale, so since the next note on a Bb scale is C, 4 draw on a Bb harmonica is C.

help an ignorant man out, please, gentlemen...

i have been told that as long as i am playing alone, i can play the tabs for any key harp, on any key harp, and it will sound fine.

if this is so, and i work out the notes from sheet music on my C harp, how could they not work for a harp of another key?

dimly seeing, but earnestly seeking,

joe

When playing alone it doesn't matter what key harp you have, if you play the same holes it will sound fine just that it will be off key. Here is a basic explanation, if you play from sheet music for the key of C the following holes, 5 -4 4 -4 5 5 5 (Mary had a little lamb) you are playing the following notes E D C D E E E, now if you play that on a G harp using the same holes you are now playing B A G A B B B, to play the same notes E D C D E E E on the G harp you would be playing -6 6 -5 6 -6 -6 -6. If you look under the resources heading to the left of the page and click on the tab rulers you will see a listing for each key harp and their hole positions for the staff. The first line on the staff is an E, but depending on which harp you have it could be played as -2" 3 -3" -3 4 -4 5 (B A G F E D C). Hopefully that makes a little sense to you. Or maybe someone will have a better explanation of it.

thanks, yukon.

it does make sense. right now i only have C harps, but a G is on the way, and when it gets here i'll come back here and play your examples, and fool with the tab rulers.

i expect i'll really GET it then.

again, thanks for taking the time to help.

joe