Hello,

I am very new to playing the harmonica, and I bought one a while ago that's called Folk Master, tuned in C. Says "Made in China" and was very cheap. I'm really interested in learning to play, and I'm willing to give it a lot of time.

Now, my question is: should I keep this harmonica or get a better one right away?

Thanks

hi there... (smile))

I guess it really depends on your harmonica. I've heard some cheapos hold up fairly well. You want your harmonica to be airtight or the tone won't be guaranteed.

My experience as a beginner started with a cheapo Kay Chicago Blues harp which leaked air like a sieve & sounded squeaky, so within a week of playing, I was looking for a better instrument.

I went for hohner harps because they came recommended & because I remember my dad playing hohner's and how sweet they sounded. But I understand Lee Oskar, Suzuki, & Hering models are all very good harps to play on too.

Hope this helps...

~always Maria.

Hi Maria, and thanks a lot for the reply!
The tone of my harmonica is a little so so.. maybe I'll get me a better one soon, perhaps a Hohner Marine Band!

Unfortunately I don't know much about the Folk Master. It sounds reminiscent of one of Suzuki's economy lines, in which case, it's probably not that bad, but if you aren't comfortable with it, or it doesn't sound quite the way you want, experiment with different brands.

If you are wanting inexpensive harps (less than $10 a piece), I would recommend buying the Blue Steel harps from [www.harpdepot.com]. Individually, they are about $4 a piece, or you can get a set of 12 major keys with a case for $40+S&H It's not a bad deal, especially when you consider that normally you'd do good to buy even 3 harmonicas (or a 12-harp case for that matter) for $40.00

True these harps aren't the greatest, and wont stand up to a lot of abuse, but they are good harmonicas. The covers are regular metal covers, the reeds are brass, & the comb is high-quality plasitc. The good thing if you buy the 12-key set, when the harps wear out, the case will fit most diatonic harps, so you can replace them with the more expensive harp of your choice as you wear them out.