Hohner Marine Band 1896 Harmonica, Key of C

• C4, middle C, on hole 1: the middle key
• G chord drawing on holes 1 to 4
• Hole 2 draw and hole 3 blow: the same G
• Pearwood lacquered twice, 20 brass reeds

On a 10-hole Richter harp, hole 2 draw and hole 3 blow give the same note. Hohner explains it with the C harp as its example: that G acts both as the fifth of the C major blow chord and as the root of the G7 draw chord. That double duty is what makes blues and folk playing possible on the instrument.

On the blow, the C Marine Band runs C, E and G; on the draw, D, G, B and D down low, then F and A from hole 5 up. Its hole 1 starts on middle C, right in the middle of the twelve standard keys.

• Melodies in C, in 1st position
• Blues in G, in 2nd position
• Learning your first melodies

Other makers also build a C diatonic:

C harmonica: what notes does it play?

On the blow, C, E and G; on the draw, D, G, B and D in the first four holes, then F and A higher up. The whole C scale is there.

Is the Marine Band good for beginners?

You can start on one, but Hohner points to the Special 20 as its best instrument for beginners. The Marine Band is the benchmark blues harp, with a wooden comb.

Why does hole 2 draw sound like hole 3 blow?

Because that note belongs to both chords. On a C harp, this G completes the blown C major and anchors the drawn G7.