|
Post by Admin on Feb 17, 2014 16:54:06 GMT -5
What made you begin playing a harmonica?
I remember the first old harp I bought - from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. A Marine Band harp in the key of C.
It was cheap, and pretty easy to learn a few songs quickly. So I didn't lose interest until I got a guitar. Then the harp lay around gathering rust and dust. I didn't really get interested in playing again until fairly recently. Funny story, I was visiting my Son and his Sister-In-Law was at his house at the same time. My Son ask if I would play a little guitar for them, so I got out my old Martin and begin to pick a little "wildwood flower". My Son's sister-in-law pulled a harp out of her dress pocket (yeah, she's Mennonnite) and played one of the best Wildwood Flower's on harp I've ever heard.
When I got back home, I picked up my old Marine Band which was in a drawer in my music room, and before long, I was hooked. Now I'm on my second set of SP20's.
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 17, 2014 17:36:34 GMT -5
I started playing because of the need to belong. When I was a kid I remember my Dad, 2 Uncles, Grandad and Grandma playing music. My Dad and one Uncle played the harmonica,they called it a french harp, my other Uncle played the jews harp, my Grandad would play either the fiddle or harmonca and my Grandma was on the old upright piano. I wanted so bad to be a part of that, it looked like so much fun. I hounded my Dad, assuring him that I wanted to play the french harp and that I would practice. When I was 10 he gave me an Old Standby in Bb and I started practicing a song called Over the Waves. Once I got that down pretty good, my Dad started teaching me how to do the rhythm chording while at the same time playing the melody. That was a bit difficult to pick up to where I could get a good rhythm to different songs. I do remember that the first song that I successfully played melody and rhythm chord to was You Are My Sunshine. Now, after 55 years of playing in that style, it's difficult for me to play without adding rhythm chords to what ever melody I'm playing and that doesn't go with blues playing.
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 17, 2014 23:04:46 GMT -5
I can't remember where I bought my first harp, but I do remember it cost $2.00 and was another old standby. It had to be at the local drug store or at Ben Franklin five and dime. I remember a girl friend I had bought me a marine band for Christmas in 62, I didn't care for the marine band as well as I did the old standby.
|
|
|
Post by beat on Feb 18, 2014 4:12:28 GMT -5
My first harmonica was a red plastic Magnus when I was five years old. I received it (and ice cream) in 1949 as sort of a "reward" for having survived a sloppy tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. (Too much ether and blood, man!) A few weeks later, after it was determined that I could blow into the thing without dislodging a blood clot, my harp experience began... barmy My uncle was a real experienced player and about a year later -- when he found out I was wailin' on a Magnus -- he told my mom to "get that boy a REAL g-dam harmonica!!" They chipped in together and got me a Hohner Old Standby from Joe Falk's Toy Store in Kansas City. I was in Seventh Heaven! I made a SHRINE out of that harp and that beautiful paper box. It was magnificent! I loved the harp and played well but was stuck doing only 1st Position tunes due to being self-taught. I began playing guitar, too. Fast forward to 1957. My uncle had passed on. I could play Jimmy Reed harp stuff, but couldn't play Little Walter and SBW II solos. I knew I was doing something wrong but never could sort it all out. Finally in the late 60's, I bought Tony Glover's Blues Harp book that explained 2nd Position... Yep, I was a (real) slow learner! Still am...
|
|
|
Post by dadfad on Feb 18, 2014 11:52:43 GMT -5
I first took it up because I thought it was almost a "requirement" for a halfway decent solo pre-war acoustic blues guitarist to be able to accompany himself on rack-harp. On some tunes it can really "fill it in" versus just guitar-only.
And then later on it sort of expanded to the place where I have been the harmonica-player (only) in a few electric bluesbands. In my last electric bluesband I played both guitar and (usually) rack-harp, plus the occasional harp-only breaks.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 19, 2014 11:16:21 GMT -5
I was going through some of my old junk today, and ran across a Hohner "Bluesband" harp, still in the box and sealed. Now I don't remember buying it, but perhaps I did at a Cracker Barrel store somewhere along the way. It seems like a fairly well made harp, plastic comb in the key of C Looks like this one at Amazon www.amazon.com/Hohner-1501-Blues-Diatonic-Harmonica/dp/B001V8WOEK
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 19, 2014 16:38:08 GMT -5
I've bought a couple of those a cracker barrel. They play ok for a cheap harp.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 19, 2014 16:49:05 GMT -5
I've bought a couple of those a cracker barrel. They play ok for a cheap harp. Yeah, not too bad... A lot more "leakage" than my SP20s
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 19, 2014 21:46:06 GMT -5
I keep a couple of those in my pack to give to kids that show an interest. One kid, a teenager, told me later that he didn't know a harmonica was that hard to play. I found out that he was a somewhat tone deaf. It's pretty difficult to play a harmonica if you're tone deaf and can't carry a tune.
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 20, 2014 10:20:22 GMT -5
I bought a set of those when the first came out just for the case. The harps are terrible. Nice case, I still have it and use it.
|
|
|
Post by lroyb on Feb 20, 2014 10:22:47 GMT -5
I started playing harp after seeing a solo act at the beach in 1978. The guy used the stage name "Sam Stone" and played a lot of John Prine tunes that he added harmonica on. I bought a Marine Band in C and started playing "Come On Into My Kitchen" while walking. I wore that song out after a couple weeks but it helped me to learn the cross harp. I didn't play guitar with the harmonica until a year later. leeblantonmusic
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 20, 2014 10:25:36 GMT -5
I started playing harp after seeing a solo act at the beach in 1978. The guy used the stage name "Sam Stone" and played a lot of John Prine tunes that he added harmonica on. I bought a Marine Band in C and started playing "Come On Into My Kitchen" while walking. I wore that song out after a couple weeks but it helped me to learn the cross harp. I didn't play guitar with the harmonica until a year later. leeblantonmusicLove the music Lee! Great website.
|
|
|
Post by lroyb on Feb 20, 2014 11:31:29 GMT -5
Thanks Jim
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 20, 2014 17:26:29 GMT -5
Yes sir, good music!!!!
|
|
|
Post by sarge on Feb 20, 2014 22:07:11 GMT -5
The Delta Frost is a really good harp, very responsive, bends easy and has a good tone. It's too bad that the availability is so unreliable.
|
|