Positions

The Richter harmonica was originally designed to be played in the major key of the blow chord (i.e., in C major on a C harp). This is 1st or "straight" position. It is usual to play in several different keys on one harp. Depending on which note you take as the root note of your scale, a number of different modes are at your disposal. Harp players usually refer to these modes as positions; there are 12 positions, one for each note of the 12-tone scale. This is a wide generalization. If you want to play diatonic harmonica chromatically you have to treat it as any other chromatic monophonic instrument.

The following table, quoted from Mike Will' Web Page, illustrates the 12 positions.