Why Blues Harmonica Players Should Play Chromatic Harmonica

Adding a New Tool to Your Bag of Tricks

When I was teaching a harmonica workshop in Boston last November one of the students in the class posed a very interesting question to me:

“What’s the utility to learning to play the chromatic?” 

I thought about it for the moment and gave a very generic answer; something along the lines of “it will make you more knowledgable about music as a whole”. But thinking back on it, I have quite a lot to say on this subject. 

Like most people, I started my harmonica journey on the diatonic harmonica. It’s the one we all arrive at first. We go to our local music store, ask the guy behind the counter which harmonica to buy, and pick the first one we see that has a picture of Little Walter or Sonny Boy on it.

It’s good that we start on the diatonic- its a great way into the blues, into the tradition of harmonica and a jumping off point for musical expression. 

Yet most of us stop there. We don’t go to those other shelfs in the music store…the ones that have the chromatics collecting dust. 

Why is this? 

Because Chromatic is fucking hard. And intimidating. And different. 

I first came to the chromatic when I was about 16. I had been fully immersed in the playing of George “Harmonica” Smith, William Clarke, and most importantly Paul Delay. They were excellent diatonic players but their secret weapon was that beastly chromatic; those huge octave splits set to heavy jump-swing tempos grabbed me immediately. It sounded like an alien horn section and I had to know how they were getting that sound. The more I listened the more I tried to mimic what they were doing but it never seemed like I could get it. I reconciled the fact that my hands were too small and my mouth wasn’t wide enough to fit that chromatic in. 

But I persisted, and it's made all the difference. 

I spent my formative years learning this style and while incredibly absorbing I wanted more and more out of the chromatic. I would listen to Stevie Wonder and Toots and be envious of their precise, puckered tone. So around 2016 I started learning more in the way of chromatic; scales, arpeggios, layout of the instrument. It not only made me a more methodical harmonica player but also made me more curious about what I might change about my diatonic playing. 

Today most of the players I talk to tell me the same things; that they don’t want to learn chromatic because it's hard, expensive, time consuming, and it messes up their muscle memory. I sympathize with this. Harmonica players are stubborn and that’s a good thing… sometimes. But I always encourage more and more people to, at the very least, keep a chromatic in your harmonica case and, if you're feeling adventurous, at least attempt to venture outside of the 3rd position stuff. 

So today I would like to offer some advice to you. I’m assuming if your reading this you are primarily a diatonic player and have interest in the chromatic. Here’s why I think the chromatic deserves a space in your weekly rotation and not just a long forgotten harp in your box. 

Improved Musical Knowledge 

Coming from a drummer background, all I knew was rhythm. All I knew was John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, and Neil Peart. There wasn’t even a hint of theoretical harmony or chord structure in my vocabulary. If you put a sheet of music down in front of me I would run for the door. When I started working with my first real harmonica teacher, the great Jazz-Harmonica player Mike Turk, he sat me down at his piano and asked me if I could play him a C major scale in all octaves of the diatonic: 

Huh? Can’t we just jam over an E shuffle together? 

No- please play me a C major scale in the 2nd octave at least.

Ummmmmm… okay…. So it starts on the 4 draw right? 

Sigh. 

Yeah- I really started from ground zero with my knowledge of melody and harmony. 

But, like any skill, it just takes time to develop. 

At the time I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have a teacher who started me out on harmonica like this- most people never get this type of education at such an early stage of development. Every day I’m grateful to Mike for putting me through this practice and not accepting my lack of knowledge as a bad thing. 

The more that I explored the chromatic the more confident I felt in communicating with other musicians. I also felt more of a connection with what was happening harmonically. The holes on my instrument were no longer just holes but actual musical notes… and these notes related to the chords that were being played. This took some time to understand; as a diatonic player, we very rarely wonder what musical notes we are playing and how they relate to the music we are a part of. I’m not saying that it was easy or that any one way of thinking is better than the other, but I do believe their is a responsibility, as a musician, to have an awareness of what musical atmosphere we are operating in. 

Chromatic is difficult to explain to diatonic players because we are no longer dealing in holes and various levels of bending but are introducing the challenge of the button; the ability to sharp or flat any of the notes to give you the necessary accidentals in whatever music you are attempting to play. This added knowledge that you are unlimited in what you can play, in a weird way, also freaks diatonic players out- it certainly scared me. It’s almost more comfortable to play diatonic because of how easy it is to transfer bend patterns to other harps. 

Still, I believe chromatic will enhance your musical knowledge. You learn more in the way of scales, arpeggios, and melodies and how they relate to the chords. Also, it gives you the ability to branch out of the blues into a wide variety of musical styles. 

Punchy Texture 

One of the things that draws people to chromatic is the punchy, bright texture of it. I often think of Stevie Wonder’s puckered tone as the prime example of what’s possible with sound variability on the chromatic. It was what made me want to move away from the Octaves and into a more well rounded style. 

But even if you are a staunch blues player, incorporating the chromatic into your set is a wonderful way to switch up the sonic frequency. Those huge octaves played in a Rod Piazza style do wonders for mimicking horn lines and hammond organs. And the best part is, if you are just playing in 3rd position, all you really need to do is inhale up and down the chromatic- you’ll get a convincing sound and its a great jumping off point into studying blues chromatic. 

Creative Blocks 

The advantage to playing two styles of harmonica, chromatic and diatonic, is that, if I’m ever feeling blocked on one (playing the same licks on the diatonic or caught in the same breath patterns on chromatic) I just switch over to the other one. I often tell people that, when I’m on the road for work, I’m almost always strictly playing chromatic and when I go home is when I rekindle my love of the diatonic. 

Why is this useful?

Think of it like cross training. In working out we have the term “cross-training” for people who do endurance sports. If you're a runner, it's probably not the most beneficial to just run all the time; you’ve gotta incorporate some other activities to make sure you don’t overuse your running muscles. Things like biking, swimming, lifting weights, etc. This allows you to not only stay fresh but not burn out and keep running interesting. 

The same goes for harmonica. Sometimes what you need isn’t just a solid break from harmonica- what you need is to cross train. Put the diatonic down for a little and see what the chromatic is all about. You’ll be surprised by how fresh you feel when you return to the diatonic. Which leads me to my next point: 

Renewed Exploration of the Diatonic 

The most drastic changes to my diatonic blues playing occurred when I started playing chromatic. This happened for a few reasons: 

 -Just like transferring licks from one position to another, using the chromatic allowed me to discover the other possible positions I could play in easily (5th, 12th) without that many bends or overblows.

-It made me more aware of how much air I was using to play the diatonic; that part of the reason my tone was suffering on diatonic was using too much air. 

-The chromatic allowed me to see, in a musical sense, the use of overblows and why one might need to get them on the diatonic. I was never really into overblowing until a few years ago, but now I understand just how useful this technique is. 

-I began to play more major-pentatonic stylings over blues progressions. I really liked that melodic texture on the chromatic and thought to myself “why don’t I do the same thing on the diatonic?” 

The list goes on for some time, but my point is that a change of scenery is advantageous if you are struggling to reinvent your playing on the blues harp. 

Melodies 

One of the first things I learned to play on the chromatic, just because I was looking for something that I could impress my friends with and I was smoking quite a lot of weed at the time, was the theme from Lord of the Rings “Concerning Hobbits”. Very approachable, very easy melody that is played in D Major (excellent key for beginners on the chromatic). 

Chromatic, given its design, gives the player easier access to melody playing. Why? Because it almost becomes like a game of Guitar Hero, pressing a button numerous times to get the notes you want as opposed to having to bend to get the notes in tune. 

I’m not saying chromatic is better than the diatonic for melodies, but I am saying it's a useful alternative to have in your bag for when you want to play songs and not just jam. Also, if you're lucky enough to play harmonica for a living, the people you're working for might ask you for a different sound than the diatonic… and you have to be ready to give it to them. 

Sans Overblows 

I began playing chromatic is that I wasn’t very interested in learning how to overblow. I’ve since come to realization that all techniques are valid but back then on the diatonic I was quite the conservative traditionalist; Little Walter or bust. But with the advantage of the button on the chromatic I was able to get those runs I wanted on the diatonic with, quite literally, the press of a button. 

Of course this takes time, and learning scales and arpeggios on any instrument is tough, but on chromatic it becomes immediately harder given how the diatonic player needs to essentially retrain their muscle memory. 

I believe its worth sticking out though- and not only that but you will understand the value of the notes behind the overblows/why you even want them in the first place. 

Brings a New Dimension to Blues 

One of the coolest and most unique things about Paul Delay was how he used the chromatic. Sure, he was one of the best diatonic players ever as well, but that chromatic added a whole new flavor to an already bursting ball of sound. It was his ability to play chromatic in so many different keys that really drew me in, and his uncanny ability to make it sound bluesy. 

Since I stated playing chromatic Ive used in many different contexts of blues music; slow, shuffles, rhumbas, swings in all keys and its funny to see people in the audience turn their heads in confusion. I like this; it means I’m doing something right. 

Once you’ve learned the basic scales (major, major-pentatonic, minor-pentatonic, and blues scale) in a few keys I recommend taking that chromatic with you to your next blues jam and trying playing in a new key. Maybe 2nd position over a G shuffle? You will feel like a beginner again, and that’s exciting and keeps the journey of being a harmonica player fresh. 

Not only that, but you will have added a new, very unique tone to your bag of tricks.