Description The Major Diatonic Harmonica was originally intended for playing simple Folk music of the nineteenth century and its notation layout was adequate for that purpose. The Major Diatonic harmonica is the most commonly used tuning for playing Blues, Rock, Country Folk & Jazz. The original style of playing, known as 1st Position (Straight Harp), is suitable for playing simple melodies, Folk music and various other types of music that call for melody lines, along with some chords. 1st Position (Straight Harp), is still used by many players today, but due to its simplicity of sound, it is not as popular as 2nd Position (Cross Harp). ABOUT THE MAJOR DIATONIC HARMONICA The Major Diatonic is the standard Blues tuning and may be played in the 1st & 2nd Positions (Straight Harp & Cross Harp). The evolution of music introduced Blues, Rock and Country and along with these new forms of music came the need for greater expression. Harmonica players began to experiment and found that when they primarily used the inhale (draw) notes, a different kind of sound was provided. This resulted in a new and more fluid style of playing, known as 2nd Position (Cross Harp). 90% of today’s players use 2nd Position for Blues, Rock, Country & Pop music. 2nd Position (Cross Harp), is a Blues scale that offers a more expressive and soulful sound. Many of the draw reeds can be bent (a technique used to change the pitch of a note). THE LEE OSKAR STORY: Lee Oskar Harmonicas was founded in 1983 by harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, in collaboration with Tombo Mfg of Japan, a multi-generational manufacturer known for excellence since 1917. Globally recognized for innovation, superior craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail, Lee Oskar Harmonicas pioneered an interchangeable system of reed plates, combs and cover plates that has become the industry’s gold standard.