Harmonica used in Sora no Kiseki ?

[gundamsfs]

Excuse me, but does anybody here know what kind of harmonica that Joshua used to play Hoshi no Arika ? I want to buy it and play it ^_^

[yangxu]

Going by sound, he's probably using a blues harmonica. However, it's nearly impossible to cover the range and key he plays with a single blues/diatonic harp, unless you're a professional and can bend notes like mad.

The easiest way would be to get two diatonics or a single chromatic. If you already know how to bend notes, I'd suggest getting two diatonic harps, they just sound so much more dynamic. However, if you don't know how to bend notes (it took me 3 months to figure out the "right" way to bend), or you want to save the trouble, get a chromatic harp. It's much easier to produce half-keys, and a single chromatic harp can play the entire Hoshi no Arika.

[gundamsfs]

wow, thanks so much, I decide to buy it for my birthday (self present), and that would mean I'm a newbie, can you share any point of how to play a harmonica please if you don't mind ?

[yangxu]

Well, I'm no professional myself, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

I think it's best that you start practicing on making clean and single notes each time you blow or draw from the hole. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube, you could use them as guides. If you're getting a diatonic harp, I'd suggest getting the C major one as opposed to any other key. You'll need to learn bending the key if you want to play Hoshi no Arika (playing on C major needs the least number of bending, but this also means that the key you play in will not match with the key from the original song). This can be an extremely tedious task, some people get it instantly, others (like me) took much longer.

Practice is the answer to everything. Spend an hour each day is probably the minimum amount of time required for learning any instrument. Don't get discouraged if things don't work out on the first few tries, as long as you're dedicated and persistent, you'll be able to play the song after a a few weeks.

[gundamsfs]

hmm, so that means...well correct me if I'm wrong, with harmonica you can play any song you want if you know the rhythm, melody, feelings and the bending without notes ?

[yangxu]

Oct 18, 2011 9:48:29 GMT -5 gundamsfs said:

hmm, so that means...well correct me if I'm wrong, with harmonica you can play any song you want if you know the rhythm, melody, feelings and the bending without notes ?

I'm not sure what you meant here, but I'll try my best to answer.

If you know the melody by heart, you can play it on a harmonica without the need of music sheets. Rhythm and feeling are things you control, if you want to turn this song into a jazz by screwing around with the rhythm yourself, that's perfectly doable.

A chromatic harmonica "does" the bending for you, that is, it has a slider on the side which you can press to "bend" the key. A diatonic harmonica requires you to shape your mouth to let the air flow in a particular way in order to create the same bending effect. It is much harder to learn and master.

[yangxu]

Oct 18, 2011 10:28:43 GMT -5 omgfloofy said:

A replica of the harmonica was one of the items packaged in the Korean LE box for Trails in the Sky several years back. It's kind of a rare find, as I think only 1,000 were made or something.

I managed to find on yahoo! japan's auctions, but you will want to expect to pay $50+ for it, because of the rarity. I've seen it go up to 40,000+ yen, as well. I lucked out for finding it for 4500. So you might be lucky.

pics.livejournal.com/togabitoion/pic/002g5cx0

Damn... I shouldn't have looked. Now I want it

[Mizu]

^ Ha ha, same here XD.

[gundamsfs]

damn...can't...stand urge....of jealousy XD

ahh, yes that's what I mean exactly, it's just like an equivalent of a pianist who play by ear...hmm..everything's hard to begin, but easy to cope as time goes I suppose..but I still can't decide which harmonica should I buy, I want the one that has the closest sound to it.

[yangxu]

Here are some videos of the song played by various Chinese harmonica enthusiasts to help you decide which one sounds better:

Chromatic Harmonica:

v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTk4OTgzMjky.html

Notice how he presses the slider on the right when he plays? That's what causes the bending to create sharps/flats. Chromatic harmonica sounds slightly more "rigid" and formal because it's mainly used to play classical musics.

Diatonic Harmonica:

v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDAwOTczNzY=.html

Notice how the key of the song isn't the same as the original and he has to use two harps of different key in order to play the complete song? Also, he couldn't bend one of the notes properly at the 1:39 mark due to limitations in his harmonica. Having said that, this version sounds a lot more dynamic and romantic (it's a blues harp after all).

Hopefully this gives you enough info on which harmonica to buy. Good luck!

[gundamsfs]

wow..thanks a bunch...I think I'll buy the Chromatic one, the one that guy using is the single chromatic right ?

[yangxu]

Correct. I would recommend buying a brand name one, the build quality and sound will differ quite a bit depending on how much money you are willing to shed. I have a Hohner 280, which is an overkill. A Hohner 260 is probably more than sufficient. Suzuki and Seydel also make chromatic harps, you might want to google some review up on these brands and their specific models since I personally never used them.

One last suggestion is that it's better if you can find local shops that carry these. This way, you can check them out in person and inquire about the details. Buying online is fine, but be sure to read the return policy, certain stores refuse to accept returns due to hygiene issues and whatnot.

[gundamsfs]

I have checked the price for Hohner 280, and it's just Holy..it cost me a year allowance to buy that...crazy

[yangxu]

Well... The 280 is an absolute overkill. There's no reason to spend that much money on a harmonica unless you're completely into this instrument and just have to have 4 octaves covered.

The 260 is a more reasonable one to consider. If the price point still seems too high, I think you can start with a diatonic (which usually costs about 30 bucks + S&H) and work your way up. Once you're comfortable with playing and are able to blow clean single notes in rapid succession, you can switch to a chromatic.

[gundamsfs]

hmm I see..thanks for the info again, and the price between the two Hohner, does differ by a small amount

[yangxu]

No problem. Most chromatic harmonicas tend to cost more because they cover more than two octaves and are slightly more intricate as far as design goes. Even the lower end ones cost somewhere around $100. It's definitely something to carefully consider before investing your annual savings in it.

[gundamsfs]

hmm..I'll think about it

[Lucretia Merces]

i have a diatonic harmonica, i remember that i found on a japanese webpage the piano sheet of hoshi no akira, i changed some notes and i finally played it, is no excactly the same, but it sound pretty good....

[ankoku]

Sorry for the necrobump. Long time lurker here and recently I've been practicing the harmonica for a week or so now. Just posting the complete harmonica tabs for Whereabouts of the Star/Hoshi no Arika and the full version for Feena's Song (just finished taking down notes for the 2nd part by ear) , just in case anyone's interested. Note: Both songs are performed with a diatonic C note harmonica.

A quick note: e.g 1=blow, 2-=draw, (1- 2-)=in quick succession

Whereabouts of the Star/Hoshi no Arika
7 7- 7 8 7-
6- 6 6- 7 6
5- 5 5- 7 7- 6
6- 7- 7 8 8-
7 7- 7 8 7- 6
6- 7- 7 8- 8 8
9- 8 8- 7 7- 8 6 7- 6-

6- 7- 7 8- 8
8- 8 9 9- 8 8- 7 7-
7 6-
6- 6 5- 6 6- 7 7- 7 8- 7- 7-
6- 6-

6- 7- 7 8- 8
8- 8 9 9- 8 8- 7 7-
7 6-
6- 6 5- 6 6- 7 7-
7 8- 9- 8 8- 7 7- 6

7 7- 7 8 7-
6- 6 6- 7 6
5- 5 5- 7 7- 6
6- 7- 7 8 8-
7 7- 7 8 7- 6
6- 7- 7 8- 8 8
9- 8 8- 7 7- 8 6 7- 6-

Feena's Song
1st part
(6- 7- 7 8- 8) 8 8- 8 10- 8
8- 8 8- 8 10- 8
7 8- 6- 7 8- 6-
8- (8- 7 7-)

Note: The harmonica version ends here.

2nd part
8 8- 8 6- 7- 7 8-
8 8- 8 6- 7- 7 8
8- 7 8- 6 6- 7- 7 8- 7 8-
6 6- 7- 7 8 8- 8
6- 7- 7 8- 8 8- 8
6- 7- 7 8 8- 7 8-
6 6- 7- 7 8- 7- 6 5

Credits goes to my friend Aomori Hazue for advice and providing help for the notes for Hoshi no Arika, as well as for the first part of Feena's Song.

[glennmagusharvey]

Another necrobump, since this topic got mentioned in the Falcom subreddit.

I think Joshua's harmonica is an E-flat chromatic harmonica, or it's an E-flat diatonic harmonica and he's able to pitch-bend just to get that one B-natural.

The tune he plays is in C minor, and it consists entirely of natural minor notes (which would all be easily accessible on an Eb diatonic harmonica, except for one, the B-natural (the 40th note in the tune, I think). So either he can do some trick with a diatonic harmonica, or he has a chromatic harmonica.

(TBF you could play this with any chromatic harmonica, but it'd be a bigger pain if it weren't an Eb harmonica.)