Hohner 980/40 Koch Chromatic Harmonica, Key of C

Customer Reviews

Hohner Koch harmonica -- great ten holer

2008-04-24
Hohner 280/64 Chromonica 64 Harmonica I love my Koch harmonica. I also have a Hohner Chromonica. I love the similarities between this harmonica and a common diatonic.

First of all, the instrument has ten holes. Most diatonic harps come in the key of C, like this harp. However, this harp is different. Simply put, it's chromatic, meaning it can play all twelve notes per octave.

My specific instrument came from my Aunt Dotty and Uncle Buddy. I consider it to be worth far more than the list price. This harp is the twenty-second instrument in my arsenal. If you consider buying this harp, get your hands on a good chromatic harp book as well.

Sharing info about the Koch Chromatic Harmonica

2005-05-09
Howdy! As the owner of a Koch Chromatic harmonica, I thought I'd share some helpful information about this interesting musical instrument. This harmonica is a chromatic-style, with the slide button, which raises the pitch of the note one-half step upward. Any note you play will be raised one-half step when the button is pushed, whether you are blowing or drawing on that particular hole. This allows for chromatic playing, of a full octave of 12 notes. Now....the difference between a Koch Chromatic harmonica, and other models of Hohner Chromatic harmonicas is this....A Koch has its notes arranged in the same pattern as a standard 10 hole diatonic harmonica. If you are familiar with these, such as the Marine Band, the Special 20, and all other 10 hole diatonics, you will already know that holes 1, 2, and 3 are the low notes of an incomplete diatonic (7 note do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do) scale, and holes 4, 5, 6, 7, are a complete 7 note diatonic scale, and holes 8, 9, and 10 are the high notes of another incomplete scale. This note arrangement is called the Richter System of tuning and has been in use since harmonicas were invented in the 1800's. It has that traditional sound and allows for the "oom-pah" vintage style of playing with chords accompanying the melody notes of the song, as well as the later style of bending notes as used for the blues and country music. So really what a Koch Chromatic is, is two diatonic harmonicas combined into one, if the one you buy is in the key of "C", then you will actually have two harmonicas, one in "C" and one in "C sharp", or also called "D flat" not meaning to be confusing. You will be able to play one whole complete chromatic octave of 12 notes on holes 4, 5, 6, and 7. But, you still will not be able to achieve complete chromatic octaves on the lower 3 holes or the upper 3 holes, simply because all the notes required aren't there.
Having told you all this now, you also need to know that if the brand new Koch Chromatics sound as good as the one I own, which is at least 50 years old and has certainly seen its days, this may be your absolute favorite harmonica! Koch was a seperate company and had its own line of harmonicas, such as the La Preciosa, and was bought out by Hohner who took over their trademark names and model line. The Koch Chromatic is, I believe, the only one still being made under that name now.
This harmonica also does not have the little paper "windsavers" or "valves" glued over the reeds like most other Hohner Chromatics have. This will allow you to bend and wail notes much easier, and you won't hear that annoying clicking sound of the valves slapping back and forth as you play. That bugs me, I don't know if anybody else notices that or not....but always remember, if you love your harmonica, you will NOT SOAK IT, because that ruins it, and also remember to wipe it off after playing it so the finish stays reasonably clean and shiny.
In closing, if this review psyches you up to buy a Koch Chromatic harmonica, I believe that you will be very pleased with it and will enjoy playing it everyday! Have fun and let the music begin!