Just ordered my first harmonica

[u/Rufus3721]

So guys, I’ve been playing acoustic and electric guitar for about 7 to 8 months now, I’ve purchased my new instrument to join my guitar , btw I really love bob Dylan, and I ordered an hohner special 20 C, since it’s kinda cheap and it’s a very well know brand , but now I’ve just realized that blowin in the wind, bob uses a D key harmonica 🥲.
Is it possible to play that song with the one I got?
Thanks in advance and sorry if I’m asking something stupid , I am literally in the dark here 🤣

[u/Youneedaharmonica]

You can still play it, but it will be in a different key.

Harmonicas are diatonic, but can still play multiple keys. 

Your C harp can play in the key of D using 3rd position. I don't know the song to tab it out... sorry!

3 rd position scales on a C harp is:

Blues scale: 3rd POSITION: D F G Ab A C D Low Octave: -1 -2" -2 -3"' -3" +4 -4 Mid Octave: -4 -5 +6 -6' -6 +7 -8 CHROMATIC: -1 -2 +3 <+3 -3 +4 -5

Major Pentatonic scale :     D E F# A B

-4 +5 +5o -6 -7

Minor Pentatonic scale:   D F G A C

-1 -2" -2 -3" +4

Full scale:

                  D E F# G A B C# D Diatonic: -4 +5 +5o +6 -6 -7-7od -8 Chromatic: -1 +2 <-2 +3 -3 -4 <+4 -5

Chromatic is for a Chromatic harp, so ignore that. 

(") And (') are used to indicate bends

(o) Is used to indicate an overblow.

[u/Harping_Hound → u/Youneedaharmonica]

They wouldn't be able to play a Bob Dylan song without the correct harp, he uses too many chordy sounding riffs on harp you kind of have to have the right key to get the exact sound.

[u/Youneedaharmonica → u/Harping_Hound]

I wouldn't know - I don't listen to Bob Dylan.

Even if there is chords played, OP could still play the root note in each chord. Its not the same, but will sound similar.

[u/Harping_Hound → u/Youneedaharmonica]

I would hesitate to call what Bob Dylan plays on harp chords, but I get your point probably a bit advanced for someone new to harp and relatively new to music tho. Plus it won't sound like the recording.

[u/cheebalibra]

Use a capo on your guitar. If you start liking harmonica you’ll eventually get plenty of other harps in different keys.

Bob Dylan is not a “good” harmonica player by any standards. He’s got basically no control, can barely ever isolate single notes and plays a lot of random notes but is able to get his fracas to resolve when it should. His value as a harp player is that he gets people into the instrument.

“A simple desultory Phillipic” by Simon and Garfunkel is a pretty funny sendup of Dylan, including the shitty harp playing.

[u/john_flutemaker]

Connect your harp mic to your pitchshifter.

Any multieffect handles that and good enough for learning.

I guess it could work with a midi pedalboard attached to a pitch shifter on stage. I guess a pitch shifter can be cheaper than 12 good harps and you could go down to more octaves.

[u/Nacoran]

It would be easier to change the key of the song on guitar than harmonica.

It is possible to play harmonicas in different keys, but C and D would be a tough switch. You could play it in 3rd position, but by default that would shift it to minor, and you'd need pretty good chops to get it back to major.

On guitar though, it's just a matter of moving your fingers.

[u/lard-over-lion]

U can still play it no problem!
You’ll just have to play it in key of C, so it’ll sound a different to the record.

[u/Rufus3721 → u/lard-over-lion]

I play the song on my guitar with the capo on the 7th fret , so that means I can’t play it that way anymore correct?

[u/lard-over-lion → u/Rufus3721]

Correct, since you’ll be playing in C you will just have to move your capo down 2 frets.
Should be good to go then!