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I have a Hohner Comet 80 C/F mouth harmonica. I did not practice much, although I have it for several years.

enter image description here

One (OC ?!) reason for this is that I do not know the notes of each hole. And my mind is very engineering-ish, even when it comes to arts.

So the question is: can anyone help me with the notes-to-holes matrix for my harmonica?

I expect something like this (just example from the Internet, most likely not my harmonica):

enter image description here

I searched the net a lot (to the extent of my abilities), without any relevant success. I even wrote (and sent) an e-mail to Hohner, but they never answered.

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  • I believe I can give a full answer. However where did you get the matrices from? Did you produce them and on what basis? Or did they come with the harmonica? I take it that you know that in English; Blasen = blow, Kanal = Channel Ziehen = Suck. I would expect it to say somewhere on the harmoica what key it is in. Beginners often buy one in the key of C but this may not be true of yours.
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Aug 25, 2020 at 10:49
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    Sorry for the confusion, the matrix above is just an example of what I want, I found it on the Internet. I have no idea for what harmonica is that.
    – virolino
    Aug 25, 2020 at 11:12
  • Sorry I have to withdraw my statement about being able to answer. I misunderstood something. My suggestion is that you contact Hohner and ask for the instruction leaflet - See this page, they seem very willing to help - "You have a question regarding an older instrument,... We’re more than happy to help you, if we can! Don’t hesitate to contact us via the form below, we will get back to you as quickly as possible." - hohner.de/en/service/general-enquiries/contact-us
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Aug 25, 2020 at 22:29
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    @chasly-reinstateMonica: I sent a message using the form you provided. Let's see what happens. The funny message I received after sending the message: "Thank you for your feedback! Your email would have been sent." :)
    – virolino
    Aug 26, 2020 at 5:38

3 Answers 3

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Your Comet could be up to 50 years old.It uses the tremolo system, easily Googled. Holes 7 to 13 produce a full diatonic major scale. Be aware that your H is a lot of people's B (si or ti).

You can map it yourself, as each hole produces one note from the diatonic scale, whether blown or drawn. Block off surrounding holes, and listen to each hole in turn. Some adjacent holes produce the same note, blown and drawn. Notably 4 and 5.

If indeed it is an '80' model, there will be holes both sides, probably producing diatonic C one side, diatonic G the other. Having double holes should mean it plays octaves, when both are blown. Making a much stronger sound.

The 'Comet' name was used for several different harps, 16 (32), and 20 (40), and 2x40 (80) holes/notes.

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  • I bought it new a few years ago from a music shop.
    – virolino
    Aug 25, 2020 at 6:45
  • That model has been around for 50 yrs!
    – Tim
    Aug 25, 2020 at 6:47
  • Just as a comment, my harmonica is actually a C/F, not a C/G. I updated the question.
    – virolino
    Aug 26, 2020 at 5:41
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Just blow and suck and figure it out in a piano or other instrument. You could even post a recording here and someone could tell you.

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  • I tried, without much success. The main problem is that somehow the air goes through too many holes. Maybe I have a big mouth :) Other problems (smaller) would be that I do not have another instrument, and my ear cannot really match sounds properly - at least, not always. If I will find a way to record clear sounds, I might come back and share them here, as you suggested.
    – virolino
    Aug 27, 2020 at 12:27
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    The tongue plays (!) an important part with harmonicas. Use it to block the holes you don't want air to pass thrrough - drawing or blowing.
    – Tim
    Aug 28, 2020 at 19:07
  • @Tim: wow! That makes absolute sense, but I never thought of it. I will try it sometime.
    – virolino
    Sep 10, 2020 at 7:09
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Following the advice (and hyperlink) from @chasly, Hohner ultimately provided the exact information I needed. I only added colors and formatting.

Thank you Chasly!

Thank you, Hohner support!

Hohner Comet 80 - C side enter image description here

Hohner Comet 80 - F side enter image description here

Hohner Comet 80 - G side enter image description here

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