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Top Chromatic Harmonicas – Best for Playing Sounds without Flaws
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The Suzuki SCX chromatic harmonica surely qualifies as one of the most luxurious harmonicas you can buy.
Toots‘ Thielemans is one of the most widely recorded artists on the chromatic harmonica
Top Best Chromatic Harmonicas - Fall season and spring to the world of Music, Harmonica is title that bags a proud position in the top performer and favorable instrument list. Harmonica, though doesn't have any formal introduction, but merely quoting, it a game that produce musical notes on blowing and drawing air from mouth in the mouthpiece made of numerous holes and bending the tongue while doing so. It is held in hand between thumb and the index finger and operates through mouth and tongue.
Known for its heart-swinging sound quality and the miniature size that is inserted to your pocket has chose to make this instrument very much popular not among the players but also amidst the viewers.
Born in 19th century, this European musical beast has marked a permanent place in the American music ranging from Jazz, Blues, Rock, Country, Pop and even the Folk and Classical music. Harmonica has won a devote musician's heart because of the cute miniature size that easily fits into your pocket, easy portability and the least expensive musical instrument which is actually simple to learn and master.
Harmonica is also popular among its audience for its wonderful top quality of sound that generates an energetic vibe among them. Harmonicas are also popular as a result of health benefits and hence it is also used as a means of treatment to strengthen the diaphragm and cure respiratory diseases.
Top 5 Best Chromatic Harmonicas
Amazon.com1) Hohner CX-12
- Sturdy construction
- Available in multiple keys
- Loud slide, which can have a negative impact on sound quality
One of the strengths of the CX is a remarkably well built plastic body. It's completely airtight. The mouthpiece is really a bit larger than Hohner Mellow Tone or a Seydel Deluxe Steel and may fatigue the jaw if you're making the transition from these models.
However it's completely airtight and easy to disassemble for maintenance. You don't need a screwdriver to remove the slide and the cover plates it's very easy to pull apart and put back together thanks to its mechanism. I've noticed that the slide was a bit noisy. The sound of the instrument is quite unique. French harmonica player Claude Garden made it his harmonica of choice.
2) Suzuki Chromatix SCX48
- Excellent construction and sound
- Silent slide mechanism
- Can easily become tarnished, which means that frequent polishing is necessary for the best appearance
One of my go-to harmonica at the moment. I take advantage of it for my practice sessions and as a back-up for my concerts and recordings. The sound is warm and full. Every hole works perfectly from the box except perhaps the 12 draw. I've noticed it didn't come out right on a few SCX thin I have ordered.
Besides that, it has technically everything we are able to expect from a good chromatic harmonica such as Abs combs, phosphor bronze reed plates and an ergonomic mouthpiece. The two parts slide mechanwill bem makes the cleaning without headaches. Most of Hohner's or Seydel's models are built with three components. I wish the button slide was better glued as I had a few one which came off. So be sure to check it half a year or a year after purcofferse. Obtainable in 12, 14 and 16 hole version.
3) Hohner Toot's Mellow Tone
- Fantastic mellow tone
- Excellent long lasting reeds and sturdy reed plates
- Good for classical pieces and ballads, but not for blasting notes or playing the blues
I first started playing the chromatic harmonica on a Hohner Mellow Tone 15 years ago. Since then it ranks among my favorite harmonica in terms of sound nonetheless it has some flaws. The wood comb may become less airtight overtime and it doesn’t last as long as a plastic comb.
That being said I always loved its warm and round sound, that i still can't find on Suzuki or Seydel models. It features pear woodens comb and chrome plating on both covers.
4) Seydel Harmonica (Chrom DX STL C)
- Great sound, and very easy to play
Though it is a bit more expensive than the models above it is totally worth the price. The Seydel Deluxe Steel is a great all around chromatic harmonica. It looks like a better version of the Hohner Mellow Tone. Every note comes out right out from the box specially the high notes.
The sound is brighter compared to the Hohner or Suzuki and projects a little more consequently. It's easy to take it apart though it could have been even faster with fewer pieces and screws. If you are looking for a 16 hole from Seydel I would recommend to look for the high end Symphony.
5) Suzuki S-64C Sirius Chromatic 16-Hole 64-Note Harmonica
- The Sirius-64 is a very high quality harp
- The addition of the brass plates on the comb make the notes and overtones very well balanced.
The Suzuki Sirius S-48S has perhaps the best tone of all the harmonicas I have played. I personally love it and I used it on my album "Breathe".
The sonority is warm, and I can't find another harmonica that matches it. It’s highly responsive in the middle register perhaps less on the low notes if you are playing on a 16 hole model but this is a common problem shared by most of chromatic harmonica. It has ABS plastic combs with weighted brass, which it gives more comfort in hands. The Sirius comes in all sizes 12, 14 and 16 hole.
Following is the curated list of the top performing chromatic harmonica as per customer's reviews and market research carries out by a team of expert harmonica players.
A musical instrument with holes and reeds when sound beautiful keeps everyone in amaze. Despite working on a simple principle of sound generation through blocking and unblocking of sound and the key of resonation, there are a bunch variety of Harmonica in the club for a connected with musical experience. Harmonica comes in different types such as Diatonic, Octave, Chromatic, Tremolo, etc. Depending in the type of music to be composed these varieties are needed by the harmonica players for regarding sound qualities.
Here we will talk about in depth regarding top selling chromatic harmonica and close to latest features provided.
About Chromatic Harmonica:
The chromatic harmonica is a type of harmonica that uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate desired. When the button is not pressed, an altered diatonic major scale of the key of the harmonica is available, while depressing the button accesses the same scale a semitone higher in each hole. Thus, the instrument is capable of playing the 12 notes of the Western chromatic scale. The chromatic harmonica can thus be contrasted with a standard harmonica, which can play only the notes in a given musical key.
Famously accomplished chromatic harmonica players include classical players Larry Adler, Tommy Reilly, Antonio Serrano, Sigmund Groven, and Willi Burger, jazz players Toots Thielemans,[1] Gregoire Maret, Yvonnick Prene, Hendrik Meurkens,[2] and William Galison, and popular musicians Norton Buffalo and Stevie Wonder.
Chromatic harmonicas are usually 12, 14 or 16 holes long. The 12-hole chromatic is available in 12 keys, but because the entire chromatic scale is available by definition, most professionals stick with the key of C—which is perhaps easier to remember, since slide in will automatically be the sharps of the associated note.
Chromatic harmonicas are traditionally tuned to solo tuning, which has a similar layout to the diatonic's Richter tuning except that it eliminates the G on the draw and doubles the Cs that are not on the ends of the instrument. In the standard 12-hole chromatic in C the lowest note is middle C, while 16-hole variants start one octave lower. For the 16-hole variant, the layout is usually as follows. Note that the "D" in the last key-in draw note is common, though by no means present in all chromatic harmonicas.
Chromatic Harmonica Notes Layout
Many beginning players are confused about harmonica notes, particularly since some of them are missing. This articles shows the notes on a harmonica, and the reasoning behind their layout. You can see full Chromatic Harmonica Notes Layout here.
