I believe Lennon has said that he played “Love Me Do” on a chromatic (without using that word–he said it was the kind “with a button”), but it isn’t necessary. The song can be easily played on a diatonic (a C harp to be in the same key as the record). The tune starts on the five-draw.
Any chromatic harmonica can play in any key, but they do exist in different keys, which may be confusing. Usually the chromatic is in C, meaning that it plays the notes of the C scale when the button is released and the C# scale when the button is pressed. But chromatics in G are not unusual.
I’m not great at harmonica, but I can play a bit and know enough to pass along some advice:
1 - Those songs are played on a diatonic. “Love Me Do” is usually played on a C harp, “Heart of Gold” on a G harp. You can play “Love Me Do” on a G harp as well, but it won’t sounds as bluesy (actually, you can play it on any keyed harp if you’re very advanced, but these are the most common ways to play it.)
2 - They’re pretty easy. You can find tabs for them only easily enough. The basic notes are easy enough to get, but getting the proper tone (including the bends, tremolos, vibratos, etc.) takes a bit of practice.
3 - A chromatic does play every key, but they do come in a couple of different keys as well as tunings. For most applications and certainly for beginners, the bog standard C chromatic harp in solo tuning is going to suffice.
Interesting. It does seem to be the case, indeed, that he used a chromatic harp according to this. That does make a lot of sense now – the tone of a chromatic is a little different than a diatonic, and it’s most noticeable (to me, at any rate) in the “Someone to love” part. That F# doesn’t sound bent (which it would be on a diatonic.) I don’t know why it never occurred to me before. Probably because I used to play along with it on a diatonic.
Anyhow, the song is in the key of G, but I would play it, like you, with a key of C harp to get a more bluesy sound to it.
“Bending” is the most common way of playing “in between” notes on a harmonica. For example, if you play “Love Me Do” on a C harmonica, you’ll notice that the F# from the “Someone to Love” is not part of the C scale. So you can’t just do a simple blow or draw to get that missing note. However, the 2-draw on a C harp is the note G. If you alter the way you draw in air a certain way, you can get that note to bend downward to an F#, an F, even all the way down to E. If you try playing “Love Me Do” on a G harmonica, you don’t need to bend at all, but you won’t be able to get some of the little flourishes John gets by sliding along the open holes of the harmonica.
Are they difficult? They do take practice. And actually quite a lot of practice if you want very fine control over your bends. But they are absolutely necessary to getting a bluesy sound out of your harmonica. The folk style of harmonica (like Dylan) doesn’t rely quite as heavily at bends (and often, not at all) so you might get away with not knowing bends if you’re playing that style of music, which tends to be more rhythmic and chord-based.
(As an aside, The “Someone To Love” part of “Love Me Do” played on a C harp actually is a bit tricky – the harmonica tabs I found out there have the part simplified. If you want to play it on a C harp, you’d play it as 3 draw bent down a full step, 3 blow, and 2 draw bent down a half step. Or you can cheat and switch to a G harp for this part. Still, playing it on a C harp will teach you some bend control and discipline, but it’s a more intermediate to intermediate-advanced skill the way it’s utilized there. The normal bluesy bending technique offers leeway for a good bit of slop, so it’s not necessary to be exactly on pitch, whereas in this context, if you miss that A or F# by a little bit, you’re going to really notice.)
As for how to learn, check out Youtube or Google. There is a veritable font of videos and written instruction on the web about this.
Massive brain fart. I just realized the first note of “Love Me Do” is an F, so playing it on a G harp would require bending, too. (Actually, it would require a very advanced technique called “overblowing” if you wanted to get it in the right octave.) So scratch all that I said about playing it on a G harp, except for the part about the bridge, where it would be easier.
It’s how you draw or blow your note (most of your most important bends are going to be draws on the lower half of the harmonica, particularly the 2, 3, and 4 draw.) Like I said, Google it for far more detailed instruction–not every hole in a diatonic is good for bending. Basically, the bends are your breathing and your mouth shape. It’s hard for me to describe. When I bend a note, I feel the back of my throat relax and drop down. It’s somewhat like what happens in my mouth when I make a “yuh” vocalization.
To practice your bends, I would start with the 3 and 4 draw notes. Those are the easiest to get the hang of. Start with a simple draw, and then try to draw air from farther back and down in your throat. Like I said, I feel it like a “yuh” sound. Keep trying until you hear the note drop down in pitch. When you hear that, try to remember your mouth shape and breathing technique – that’s the essence of your bend.
I’m sorry if I’m not explaining it well but, like I said, a quick google of Youtube and you’ll get dozens of harmonica players teaching you in their own way how to bend.
For some great examples of blues harp, including extreme bending and “effects”, look for Corky Siegel. Here’s one – it starts slow, but becomes quite raucous.
I played for a few months. I got frustrated because the harmonica always clogged with spit. I’d slap it on my hand to clear it. Finally, I’d have to put it away for a couple days to dry out.
I’m sure that there’s a way to avoid that. I never figured out how and lost interest.
