HarmonicaSpace : Space Board

Sonny Terry's bright sharp tone

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:20:28 -0700

topic started by Lost T

In this video we'll go through some Sonny's chuggings and the Sonny's bright sharp tone, also called "icepick" tone, Sonny used this sound in almost all interpretations.
Sonny played these chuggins and riffs in several songs like "Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me", "Boogie Baby",...

I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues and country harp.

Hope you enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDR14QBzNzw

In my website you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
https://sites.google.com/site/lostharp/

seeking harpking amp

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:31:04 -0700

topic started by easy b

HI,

Preferably a 410 but will consider other harpking models. contact dave at harpking0911@yahoo.com. thanks

restoring old harps

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:08:15 -0700

topic started by Chris R

Several folks on here have expressed an interest in how I restore old harps so I thought I would make a post about an old 364 that I did recently. If there's enough interest and I can get my hands on a suffeciently cruddy harmonica to do I may shoot a video of the process and upload it.

Old Hohner 364 purchased on Ebay

Sometimes item descriptions are wrong, and sometimes that are reeeaaaaallllllyyyyyyy wrong. I thought I was buying a 270 since that's what the auction was listed as, and the picture was to bad to see the harp clearly. This is what I ended up getting in the 270 case. When I got it I tossed it on the workbench and forgot about it. Recently I was talking online with some folks about fixing up harmonicas and I wanted to try out several products which used in conjunction with each other made for a really nice outcome.

So here's what I saw in the auction, not this exact picture, but the picture showed the 270 case.

Here's what was in the case when I openend it. As I'm sure you can guess I wasn't to happy about it.

This is the condition the harp was in when I took it out and looked at it. It was so bad that I had to take a picture to show to a friend of mine.

This is the kind of harp that most folks would just toss in the trash. It was awful. I don't know where it originated, or how old it is, or what kind of conditions it had been left in but man oh man what a train wreck.

As you can see there weren't any coverplate screws with it, instead someone in their infinate wisdom though that bailing wire would be a good substitute.

The Restoration

Here's a description of some of the things I did to restore this harp. The first thing was to tear it all apart, the nails that were holding it together were terribly rusted and a couple broke off which after the reed plates were removed required the use of a small pair of pliers to remove the remainder of the nails. The reed plates and cover plates were the first things to be addressed. To start with I soaked the reed plates in CLR for a few minutes with constant agitation. The CLR can be quite harsh on the brass but it's really effective at getting the initial crud off of the reed plates. I then rinsed the reedplates, and you want to make sure you get them really cleaned off. Then it was on to the next step. I use brasso to further clean the reed plates by applying the brasso to the plates and then using my fingers to work the brasso over them. Of course I'm sure it goes without saying... wear gloves... and make sure you do that in a place with fresh air because the brasso has a VERY strong odor to it. So I work the brasso over the whole reedplate rubbing them with my fingers to clean the surface and work the brasso into all the nooks and crannies. After you feel it's as clean as it's going to get then rinse the plates again.

The cover plates were soaked in the CLR for about 30 minutes total. This was to try and neutralize all the rust that was on the coverplates. After soaking and a good rinse with clean water both the cover plates and the reed plates were clean in an ultrasonic cleaner with a bit of anti-bacterial soap mixed with the water. The parts were run through several 8 minute cycles. Taken out and again rinsed. After drying they looked pretty good, but to take it a step further and make the plates look even better I took a pencil and used the eraser to clean up the plates even further and to remove some of the darker stains. The eraser is a great way to clean the brass because it's abrasive enough to really remove tarnish and discoloration well, but without damaging or removing material. So at this point you're probably thinking ok we're finally done........ not yet. The next step is the final one in restoring the plates to a new condition. I use a product called neverdull, which comes in a can and it's basically a coton material like a cotton swab that's soaked with a solvent. I whipe the reed plates down really good with the neverdull, you just need to tear off a small amount of it and use that until it's good and dirty looking. Whipe down the reed plates with the neverdull and then when you're happy with the results whipe with a clean paper towel. Ok one more step.... Next I take the reed plates over to my buffing wheel. Now this is important !!!! When using the buffing wheel on a bench mounted buffer you MUST use a loose wheel, not a sewn wheel. The loose wheel is less prone to grabbing the plate while you're working on it and is much less aggresive. So what we're going to do is use the buffing wheel to remove more of the neverdull and to help polish and clean the plates even more. When doing this make sure that you always work with the rivet end of the reeds at the top so that as the wheel spins it starts at the rivet end and works towards the free end, and use very light pressure. After both sides of the reedplates have been cleaned with the buffing wheel it's time for the final wash and back into the ultrasonic cleaner one more time. The pencil eraser used earlier can be used on the edges of the reedplate to clean and restore their color as well. I think it's important to mention that you don't need a bench mounted buffer, and if you're doing this for the first time I would recommend using a dremel tool with one of the polishing wheels. When I first started working on harps and building my brass custom harps I did all of my polishing with a dremel, so it's more than adequate for the what we're doing here.

The cover plates were very rusty on the insides surfaces. The soak in CLR seems to help neutralize the rust and clean it up to a certain point. To further clean the rust off I use a wire wheel in the dremel and clean all the rust off. The surface may still be pitted but the goal is to remove any discoloration and visible rust. After that was done it was back over to the buffing wheel to polish the coverplates. For this I use a sewn buffing wheel with a rouge compound. Be very careful when doing this. A buffing wheel can be one of the most dangerous tools in the shop, because if it gets ahold of that coverplate it's going to rip it out of your hands, and when it does can very easily take a finger with it if you're holding a sharp edge. Again for those new to this kind of work a dremel tool with a polishing wheel would be a better choice.

So we've cleaned up all the parts and now it's back to the sink for a finaly cleaning and ultrasonic bath.

The comb was very cruddy and very normal for a really old harp that's been mistreated, to say the least. I wanted to use the original comb because I wanted to show people what could be done using the original parts. Sure a new custom made comb would be great, but if you don't have the means to make them and don't want to shell out the money for one there's no reason you can't reuse the comb that's in there. So to start with I went to the workbench and started the sanding process. I have a granite tile that I use for sanding combs. I took a piece of 220 sanding paper and used a light coat of spray adhesive to stick it to the granite. Then with a piece of steel placed on top of the comb to help with even pressure I started sanding the top and bottom surfaces until the gunk, discoloration were gone, and the flatness was to my liking. Then I use a thin flat file to clean the insides of the slots to clean off any gunk in there, I want to see clean wood when I'm done with this step. Then I sanded the coloring off the edges of the comb using the sandpaper tacked down to the granite. this needs to be done slowly so you don't remove to much material, basically just get the coloring off and nothing more. Then it was off to the belt sander to chamfer the corners on the tines of the comb.

So now we've got clean reed plates, cover plates, and a freshly sanded comb. The next step was to drill the comb and reed plates for screws. The nails that were originally in the reed plates were so rusted that there was just no reusing them. So I clamped the reedplates in place on the comb and went to the drill press to drill holes for the screws. For some reason the nail holes on the draw plate are nice and equally spaced and good locations for the screws, so I use those as the positions for the screws. I clamp the plates to the comb and then drill through the reedplate, into the comb, all the way through, and out through the blow plate. I drill the holes with the appropriate size drill bit based on the size of screw I'm going to put in. In this case I used brass 1-72 hex head screws. After those holes were drilled I took the pieces apart and drilled the through holes in the plates and comb. Next I tapped the holes and we're done.

I like to have the corners on my harps either with a chamfer or rounded off, so I temporarily install the reed plates and head to the belt sander to round off the corners. When that's done it's time to move onto sealing the comb.

Because of the age of the harp I like to pre-seal the entire comb with a couple light coats of instant drying laquer. I get this at my local hardware store and it works great. The laquer soaks into the wood and seals it without a lot of buildup. Remember we spent time trying to get the top and bottom surfaces of the comb nice and flat so we don't want a bunch of buildup on there and undoing the work we did. After the laquer has dried I start applying the finish to the edges of the comb and the insides of the slots. I use Cabot water based poly for this, it dries very fast, has a great finish, and it's durable. I apply it to the insides of the slots with a regular small brush and after a couple of coats inside the slots I use a foam brush on the outer edges. I put on 4 coats this way with about 5 to 10 minutes drying time between coats. Generally by the time I've finished the last section the first is dry enough to touch, so I let it set about 5 to 10 minutes between coats.

So after it was all dry it was time to reassemble the harp. Below are the after pictures.

Now it's on to working on the reeds.

Hope this was informative, and remember just because harp looks like it's ready for the trash bin don't be in to big a hurry to throw it away, but if you're set on throwing it away throw it my way.........

Home

Apr 10, 2013 20:08 PDT
manish d said,
I have Horner chromonica III of make 1961 .Can it be restored.I tis not as bad as the one you bought.

May 14, 2009 18:58 PDT
Al P said,
Very nice write up Chris and a job well done!! Great pics!! I too have done this type of work to harps but where you are at with this harp now is my main problem... the tuning stage of things.
Apr 13, 2009 14:13 PDT
Builderofstuff said,
Hey Dave,

Restoring these old harps isn't something I do for money, just the pure enjoyment.

Using the CLR isn't a problem as long as you don't overdo it, and I keep the bath agitated while the parts are in there, makes it work quicker and better without having to leave them in there as long. One other thing that we do different is that I make extensive use of my ultrasonic cleaner, which I highly recommend everyone get as it's a great way to keep your harps really clean.

The nails were terribly rusted and unusable in this case. The comb was sealed overall with a couple light coats of instant drying lacquer, then the edges including the insides of the slots were sealed with 4 coats of Cabots water based poly. And then the top and bottom of the comb were lightly sanded again to ensure flatness.

Neverdull is a great thing. I prefer to buff the coverplates when they are in as bad of a condition as these were as it help to remove scratches and some imperfections that just cleaning with neverdull won't get.

Chris
Apr 12, 2009 19:54 PDT
Elk River said,
Interesting.... very interesting... What is interesting to me is that we came up with pretty much the same process.... the only difference is I use Lime Away, which is pretty much the sam thing as CLR, but supposedly a little more gentle on the brass. I also use the Never Dull wadding and the buffing wheel, flat sand the comb... pretty much the exact same thing I do on the antebellums. That's never been a huge money maker for me, but it lets me see all these old harps.

I think the only major differences are 1) I usually leave em nailed. and 2) I use several coats of sealant. What I do is do a second sanding to sand the sealant off the sides. If you are only using one coat, there's no need to sand it again. Another thing, a pretty minor one, is that I used to use the buffing wheel in the days before I discovered Lime Away on the reedplates. Now, the limeaway is about as far as I go, after seeing you raise the bar with that clean brass, I might have to start using it again.

It certainly is something that makes you feel good, restoring old harps like that. It's a great public service, Chris.

I did make a cleaning vid a while back. I was using Kaboom! then. It works, but the Lime Away (or CLR) works better. Somebody suggested using vinegar. It was also made before I discovered Never Dull, which my dad introduced me to. He uses it on guns.

I don't wanna hijack the thread, so I'll make a new one.
Apr 11, 2009 22:14 PDT
BlueMoose said,
Sweet! (great photos by the way!)

Apr 10, 2009 20:47 PDT
Builderofstuff said,
My pleasure. I love restoring old harps. Every harp has a story and bringing them back to life is a very rewarding project. It's also not as time consuming as one might think. This whole process on this harp was only 2 hours tops. Of course I have had some practice and I do have a well equiped shop, but that is no reason for a person not to try it. Everything that I did could be done with hand tools. At one time this harp was brand new and the person who bought it probably got hours of enjoyment from it, or it could have been a present to someone who played it at family gatherings. Who knows. But now it lives on in my collection. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.
Apr 10, 2009 16:45 PDT
Robb L said,
What an artist. You do the kind of work I aspire to. Thanks for sharing this.
Apr 10, 2009 12:13 PDT
Oisin said,
What a transformation!! That is very impressive.

Sonny Terry's tongue block riff

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:33:57 -0700
topic started by Lost T
In this video we will play the last bars of the 2nd chorus of a Sonny Terry's boogie. We'll gone through a tongue block riff that Sonny played in the middle register of the blues harp. Sonny played this riff in several songs like "Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me", "Boogie Baby",...

I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues and country harp.

Hope you enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebe3NiO0e5E

In my website you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
https://sites.google.com/site/lostharp/

Sonny Terry's boogie (1st chorus complete)

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:14:10 -0800
topic started by Lost T
It's my third tutorial video dedicated to Sonny Terry.

With these three videos we can play the first chorus of this Sonny Terry's boogie style, with rhythms and phrases of songs like "Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me", "Boogie Baby" ...

Hope you enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCaeDpP1sbs

In my website you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
https://sites.google.com/site/lostharp/

The Days of Wine and Roses

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:13:02 -0800
topic started by Emile D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtV7Xxqi4fQ

Here's a nice standard. During this period I was highly inflluenced by the jazz guitarist

Jimmy Bruno. www.jimmybruno.com

Diggs

Mar 05, 2013 19:13 PST
Jim C said,
i own a cbh 2016. bought it back in 1975. What is its worth? including case.

it is made of composite, DELRIN.

May 06, 2009 10:29 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
I bought one of the first 2016's back in 1975 when they first came out. They were designed as a chamber instrument, but I got a chance to see Cham-Ber Huang in the early 80's before he left Hohner to form his own company, he did a performance of classical music at Symphony Hall in Boston, where he not only had the stock 2016 and 2012, but he had his original prototype that had a plexiglass comb, and cover plates and mouth pice/slide assembly made of Sterling Silver, and that one was a clearly a better instrument than what they put out, but it would've been easily 10 times more expensive. The windsavers on that chromatic would fail easily because many of the old time chromatic players thought it was actually too airtight.
May 06, 2009 06:01 PDT
Sarge said,
Yep, I know about Chamber Huang. Just making a joke about the 2016. I bought one when they first came out. Personally I didn't like it and ended up trading it off 30 years later.
May 05, 2009 14:24 PDT
Diggs said,
The drummer and bass I have no idea. The guitarist that took the solo is a big wig in the IRS.

The other guitarist is a house dad and home schools his three kids. He also plays classical guitar.
May 05, 2009 11:10 PDT
Bluesie said,
I dig it Diggs!!! Nice band playing from all of you at that time. What happened to the other players that were with you on that performance?

Dan
May 05, 2009 03:00 PDT
Diggs said,
Thanks for listening

I don't think the 2016 is an ordinary plastic. I think the material may have been the forerunner of the stuff they make bullet proof vests out of. Chamber has degrees in music and engineering.

May 04, 2009 20:22 PDT
Sarge said,
I sure like your playing Diggs. Amazing what you can do with a plastic harmonica.

Sonny Terry's chugging! chugging! CHUGGING!

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:54:13 -0800
topic started by Lost T
It's my second tutorial video dedicated to Sonny Terry.

In this video we continue playing a Sonny's typical chugging, during the IV chord now. Sonny played this riff in several songs like "Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me", "Boogie Baby",...

You will find insinghts and tips aboud this chugging. I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues and country harp.

Hope you enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjTIq4FQ3cQ

In my website you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
https://sites.google.com/site/lostharp/

Fender brown tolex harp case

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:26:24 -0800
topic started by Samuel R
I have a fender mississippi sax case, brown tolex version. I would like to sell it to upgrade to a bigger case to accommodate all my gear. I think I paid around 130.00-140.00 from best little harp house when they were open. Make me a offer

Feb 15, 2013 12:26 PST
Dan R said,
Adam,

Is this still available?

Thanks,

Dan

Sep 17, 2012 18:04 PDT
Adam said,
Will, I still have the case. I was thinking 60.00. I can get you pictures but there is one on my profile picture with some other gear, Its not the best though. PM me your Email.
Sep 11, 2012 20:40 PDT
Will K said,
Hi Adam,

Interested in the harp case, if it's still available, please let me know,

Thanks,

Will

Aug 26, 2012 22:27 PDT
Mondo said,
Probably get some bites if you could post a picture

Sonny Terry Rock 'n' Boogie

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:59:23 -0800
topic started by Lost T
It's my first tutorial video dedicated to Sonny Terry.

In this video we gone through a Sonny's typical chugging. Sonny played this riff in several songs like "Hooray, Hooray, This Woman Is Killing Me", "Boogie Baby",...

You will find insinghts and tips aboud this chugging. I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues and country harp.

Hope you enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsp1nmgsMZ8

In my website you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
https://sites.google.com/site/lostharp/

Seeking information

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:53:48 -0800
topic started by Jerry S
My name is Jerry I was given my Great Grandfather's harmonica. He brought it with him when he came to the U.S. fron the Checz Republic. I am told the harmonica could be around 100 years old it is a Fr Holtz made in Germany it is a big fellow it has an A stamped at one end. It has 32 holes. Could someone maybe give me some information as to what I have. Thank you

Jan 29, 2013 07:53 PST
Barbeque Bob M said,
From that picture, it looks more like either an octave harp or a tremelo harp. The company was one of Hohner's old competitors that it eventually bought out before World War II. If Winslow Yerxa comes on here, he may be able to get you more info on it, but I'd also get in contact with Pat Missin, who's one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet regarding harmonicas and a good guy and his site is:

http://www.patmissin.com

It's an extremely informative site.

Jan 28, 2013 16:37 PST
Jerry S said,
The profile pic is the harmonica I am seeking information on

Jan 28, 2013 16:30 PST
Jerry S said,
I would be glad to post a pic if I new how

Jan 28, 2013 08:09 PST
Barbeque Bob M said,
Could you please post a picture of this.

Deford Bailey... a toast to you!

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:16:01 -0800
topic started by Lost T
Last tutorial video about Deford Bailey's Fox Chase!
I have included a final review of this video series. This song has a awesome country blues sound.
DeFord Bailey was the most influential harp player in the first half of the 20th century, and one of the most unjustly treated in American music... DeFord, a toast to you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDlEUG4-ozc

It's my new website, you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
https://sites.google.com/site/lostharp/

Need good websites to learn

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:33:02 -0800
topic started by Laurent L
I'm a new player and i would like some good free websites where you can learn how to become a good harp player.

Jan 02, 2013 08:33 PST
Isaac R said,
Hello Laurent,

I agree with Mondo, youtube is great. To be a good player I recommend finding open minded supportive musicians in your area that you can jam with from time to time. In my town there are music rounds where people can come sit listen or play. Sometimes there will be up to 25 musicans sitting in the circle playing a song. The musicians can be as young as 6 years old beginning fiddle up to 70 year old guitar masters. It's great for ear training and for the sheer experience of playing with others. Youtube, should help you in the right direction. Jason Ricci gives instruction on youtube and he also offers lessons via Skype.

Welcome to the awesome world of harp playing! May it bring you great fun and joy!

Dec 16, 2012 20:13 PST
Mondo said,
YouTube

'nuff said

Silent Night. Sonny Terry whoopin' it up...

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:06:35 -0800
topic started by Lost T
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKCBsatb0_I

HELP purchasing a harp for the first time

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:43:29 -0800
topic started by Jenna P
Hello everyone! I am looking to purchase a harp for a friend as a present but I need to know what kind/how this works.

He wants one so that he can play The Promised Land by Bruce Springsteen. But he said he doesn't have one in that key or something like that?

Can anyone tell me exactly what kind he needs to play the Promised Land??

Thank you so much. Once I purchase it I will tell him about Harmonica Space, I think he would love it!!

Dec 24, 2012 14:43 PST
Mondo said,
The music for "The Promised Land" is in the key of G major. You will need a harp in the key of G to play in first position (or straight harp). If your friend is experienced at playing in second position (or cross harp), then get him one in the key of C.

Newer harmonicas

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 13:43:40 -0800
topic started by Drew R
A while back, there was a lot of buzz about the Manji and Harrison Harmonicas. I'm wondering how people feel about these and any other newish models, customizers, etc. I drifted back to plain ol' Special 20s, because I've played them so long that they just sound and feel right to me. I'm still curious about the newer stuff.

Dec 24, 2012 13:43 PST
Mondo said,
Anybody try the new Olive? I picked one up in D and is sounds great (to my amatuer ear) and I can actually bend it fairly well. I'd read that they were designed using the Manji reedplates and redesigned coverplates. The low reeds don't hit the coverplates and I love the full cover design (my moustache is always getting "plucked" by standard cover plates!)

Dec 18, 2012 19:46 PST
rick b said,
To orthodox blues,

I too have loved and used special 20's for years. I have been reading in other forums about how much players like lee oskars.I don't get it ! they will freeze up on you right in the middle of a solo. At least when the sp20's pack it in they only detone. I appreciated walterharps comments on the seydels . I generally go through a harp every time I play a gig so finding a more durable brand would be awesome. A question for Walterharp. Do you find custom harps more durable or merely more responsive. Which would make a more reliable workhorse a seydel or a manji. Have you guys tried a hohner extreme bend ? It's like having a baseball bat in your mouth but it is hard to kill . I kind of like the chicago style tonality of the thing . I just wish it wasn't so dam big

Oct 23, 2011 19:33 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Jawbone --

I really appreciate the detail of your post. It leads me to strongly consider the Manji, at least one. I'm sad to hear that you were stiffed on the B-Radical. It could have been me very easily, as I figured I'd wait to hear what people thought when they first came out, and then I became distracted and never checked until now.

Anybody else generally use and like Sp20s but found something newer that's better?

Oct 17, 2011 21:24 PDT
Jawbone K said,
i got taken to the cleaners on the b radical, having paid and gotten stiffed. long story.

i do have several manjis in my case and use them a lot. to me they are what the marine band should have evolved into. now hohner has a few models that more or less compete with the manji but imho suzuki has the top honors thanks to their very precise reeds and plates. the comb is a wood/resin composite, the ends of the covers are opened, to me it's an all-around desirable harp. yes it costs more but i feel i got what i paid for in the manji.

i used a ton of sp20's over a lot of yeards once i became disgusted with the marine band. this was in the 90's and hohner had yet to retool and rethink the mb much. i blerw out as lot of sp20 reeds trying to play them louder- my bad. sp20 is a decent enough harp and therte are guys who do different levels of customizing on them to make them better than stock. i have a couple in my case right now, stock, but durable. they've lasted a few years.

i also used a lot of bushman delta frost for a few years. a pretty good harp but i found them to choke out pretty easy, requiring regapping, at which i suck pretty badly.

hering 1923 vintage is a pretty harp but to me the reeds are substandard.

suzuki has a couple of models you may want to give a try, the folkmaster and the bluesmaster.

all of these harps and a lot more are available at rockin' ron's and also coast 2 coast music.

Oct 16, 2011 08:11 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
I think that I default back to the Special 20s because I'd only want a fancier one if it sounded and felt like a great Special 20!

Oct 13, 2011 18:40 PDT
walterharp said,
also consider the suzuki manji, it is tuned more equal temeperment, wich could be better depending on the style of music you want to play and your approach. i like the suzuki promasters as well and the Sydell 1847 is a great harp that will last a really long time

Oct 12, 2011 19:56 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Mondo --

That's my worry. Years ago, I had some Marine Band harps and didn't like them. It is hard to tell if I'd like the Crossover ...

Oct 11, 2011 22:38 PDT
Mondo said,
@OrthodoxBlues, I understand that the Crossover is a modified Marine Band, not a Special 20.

Oct 10, 2011 14:38 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Okay ... do any of these higher-end harmonicas specifically feel like a really good Special 20?

I'm leaning towards trying the Crossover.

Oct 10, 2011 14:03 PDT
walterharp said,
yeah, that is basically it, they are more reliably good.. every once and a while you get a really good marine band, golden melody, special 20.. but these more expensive ones are more reliably easy to play that way

Oct 07, 2011 20:58 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
That Thunderbird looks cool!

Oct 07, 2011 12:56 PDT
Mondo said,
Anyone play with the new Hohner Thunderbird?

Oct 03, 2011 19:56 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Walter --

What do you notice with the more expensive ones? I think that you are saying that they are like a great Specail 20 right out of the box, and predictably ... but maybe I have it wrong.

Sep 30, 2011 20:10 PDT
walterharp said,
mostly you get what you pay for... on average the more expensive ones like the sydell 1847, the crossover, the manji play better.. customs play better still yet. you can get a mass produced one that is mucked up or a customizer who does not do what he promises.. just as you can buy a special 20 that has that special mojo.. but all things being equal, you get what you pay for

Sep 29, 2011 21:27 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Ouch! There was a lot of buzz about those harmonicas, but I was waiting to see how it all panned out before I spent that much on a harmonica. I'm sad to hear about how it all went down.

Sep 29, 2011 20:39 PDT
Mondo said,
I've heard that the B-Radical is no more. This is from an August 9th article:

Harrison Harmonicas last week sent an email to customers explaining that it “is no longer able to continue as a company” and that another yet-to-be-named American company bought the B-Radical harmonica design and will build that and other Harrison designs.

http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x1837730054/Harrison-Harmonicas-trouble-began-last-year-EIGERlab-says

Wind saver please help!

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:28:47 -0800
topic started by Andrew T
Hey yall how do you fix windsavers in Chromatic harps? I have a few where the paper-ish stuff is lifted way off the reedplate and those notes sound like shredding paper or playing underwater or something like that. What would you do? Thanks.
~~A.T.

Dec 18, 2012 19:28 PST
rick b said,
I peeled the suckers of and it sounds and plays great just don't lean on it too bad or sorrow will ensue

Jan 22, 2012 21:02 PST
walterharp said,
try here

http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/maintwind.html

Reed sticking by saliva

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:47:15 -0800

Harmonica Space Dying a Slow Painful Death ?

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:34:17 -0800
topic started by Joe F
Ever since the Bradical Harmonica contest ended, almost no forum, or chat activitity.

1400+ members, and nothing happening!

There's plenty of activity on other harp forums. I know, I'm active in couple of them. I feel I'm just wasting my time logging in every day.

Any feedback, suggestions might keep HS alive.

Dec 18, 2012 14:34 PST
Mondo said,
Understandably, the holidays take quite a bite out of our lives this time of year. But, it's totally up to us users to keep things hoppin' here. I don't log in very often, but when I do (like you) I wonder what everybody's doing.

PS: are we going to play at Bruce's again? I'm not available until after Christmas, but then we can give it a shot.

PPS: I'm looking for mic. Not too expensive, though. Got anything layin' around?

Dec 17, 2012 11:39 PST
Harp W said,
I don't remember when your comment was dated; however, I just joined this forum because I saw a message of yours, in this group, regarding the desire to have a place to play near Sacramento. Pull up the Meet Up Group - Harp Players near Sacramento. The group just got kicked off this month, if you are interested? I know about it because I saw a local need and started this group myself. I set a monthly meeting to get together and share playing the Harp. Our first meet up is the 2nd Satuday in January. If you want to come, please join and you will then have access to the meet up information. Sounds like you have some great ideas for this forum. I am hoping you will have some great ideas for what a group can share and do together. I don't have many members yet; but I am hoping after Christmas my group will be noticed and more will join.

Jun 09, 2010 18:33 PDT
Chris C said,
The Walls are listerning Ray

Jun 06, 2010 19:57 PDT
Big Daddy Ray said,
I think some of us make posts,or replies to posts and forget about it.Maybe if we had some sort of email reminder to notify us when someone replies to a post we are involved in we would be drawn back here more often.

Jun 06, 2010 04:45 PDT
Ana R said,
Bluesie,

You're absolutely right. Those night chats here were great and I've learned so much from you guys. Beside that it was really fun. Those skype jams that Garry organized were the best thing that any harp newbie could wish for, to jam and play with great harp players that won't laught the hell out of him when he start playing like broken record and to help him with precious advices....I miss that a lot and I miss all of you guys.....hope we'll start and raise our harp chat from dead till than I love you all my dear harp friends!!!!!

Jun 05, 2010 18:04 PDT
ron a said,
I like it here. It may not be as busy, but it is steady enough to be interesting and also not consume the whole day off sitting here waiting for a good thread to start. ...which it may or may not. The odds are realluy against it on most forums. Best to stop by and see what's shakin' then get out until tomorrow and do it again. There's generally SOMETHING I find to read here and leave better than i came in. Pretty much every day by going back in the pages. I don't feel compelled to post every time and nobody here goes out of their way to stir the pot. I like that.

Jun 05, 2010 13:39 PDT
Big Daddy Ray said,
I`m trying to do my part.But it seems I am mostly talking to the walls..

Jun 05, 2010 12:58 PDT
BluEyes said,
my problem is that I use my Iphone for all my computer needs... and for some reason i can not input any comments on the Iphone..

But that will not stop me from reading and getting great advice from you guys...

abner (BluEyes, im still here)

May 09, 2010 03:28 PDT
Steven T said,
Hey Harpaholic,

I know there are more 1400 members but not all of them understand English well enough to express themselves. I live in Belgium, a small country with 3 languages (Dutch, French, German) and I have to deal with language barriers frequently. So alot of members just don't know what's going on.

Grtz,

Steven Troch

May 07, 2010 14:42 PDT
Bluesie said,
I am on many forums and haven't been here in a while. At the beginning, the chat was very popular with Brian, Jason, Joe Filisko and some other builders and customisers, Ana, Kingley, Dan and Dan, Joe, Brady, Bob, Pete, Brian, his wife (Tamya?) and many others I forgot names. For a while it was the center of this space. Then, there was a guy who brought everyone out on skype. At the same time, Jason and Brady split. Chat almost died and the Space went down a lot. Yeah, the interface is clumsy compared to many but I think the hype was so high at the beginning, it suffered from the chat going down more than anything else. Some still here must surely remember those nights with 20 people on the chat at the same time.

Apr 17, 2010 23:00 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Tony --

Good points. As someone who plays guitar and harmonica, some of the guitar forums are too big, so it is hard to even keep up with an interesting thread.

Apr 17, 2010 21:12 PDT
Tony W said,
From what I can tell, compared to guitar players, there just aren't that many harp players. With such small numbers it seems at the very least a major challenge to keep a site busy all the time. (I guess some sites are busy yes) But like any other business you must be willing to hang on for several years before things start to happen. We live in a world of instant gratification, guitar hero for instance (yes I hate guitar hero ) so I personally don't think there is anything major wrong with the site. A lot of the suggestions I have heard will help but it is Time, that is needed. Just like getting to the place we want to be in our harp playing, Time is the only way (with practice everyday). It takes many years to know your instrument and in several years this site should be well underway. I could be wrong but...

keep it in your mouth
Apr 16, 2010 18:28 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
I don't know for sure, but it seems like this place is coming back!

Apr 16, 2010 12:48 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
OK, so I made it longer!! lol

Apr 16, 2010 11:52 PDT
walterharp said,
bob, that is 6 words :-)

Apr 15, 2010 09:47 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
On that note, sorry, but two words come to mind: dream on, dream on, dream on!!! lol

Apr 15, 2010 09:10 PDT
BlueMoose said,
I'd like to see the kind of chat client where we're all 20 years younger, have lost 20 pounds and have practiced 20 times as much. Brad - make it so!

ain't busted but I'm badly bent
Apr 15, 2010 06:17 PDT
ness said,
Hey Brady,

Thanks for the perspective on things. I can see how integrating an of-the-shelf bulletin board would present a lot of problems. Byt the way -- impressive work on this.

One suggestion that would improve readability here, IMO, would be to move the 'Add your comment' box to the bottom of the posts. The conversation kinda flows top to bottom, and that might be a pretty easy modification.

John Nesselrode
Apr 14, 2010 23:12 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Brady --

I understand now, the whole is greater than the parts. So, first, you've made a great site. Second, I'd like to suggest some new features when you overhaul the forum:

1. The ability to edit your own posts for typos or errors

2. Greater ease in posting photos in the forum. Might just be me using Safari, but I have to post the html code, then go to edit then back to posting to see the photo.

These are minor points, and you've done an amazing job, especially since you wrote your own code. Some of my preference for vBulletin may stem from familiarity ... hanging out and buying too much on guitar forums.

Apr 14, 2010 19:50 PDT
sgsax said,
Other than the fact that the board uses a separate cookie than the rest of the site, I like it quite a bit. I do find the chat room a bit cumbersome, though. I would like to keep the chat, but wouldn't mind a different chat client. Thanks again, Brady.

Apr 14, 2010 19:41 PDT
Brady Mills said,
V-Bulletin and other bulletin boards are fine systems. However, Harmonica Space is a social network and so the entire site is built with custom code. The Space Board is actually just one component of that custom code. Trying to modify an out of the box bulletin board for the site would actually take as much work, if not more, than making the changes myself.

The eventual goal of the site is to integrate education features as well - so every piece needs to continue to work in concert with every other piece. I can really only control that with my own code.

Good suggestion...keep the ideas coming!

Brady Mills
Owner Brady Mills Graphics
and Creator of HarmonicaSpace
Apr 13, 2010 23:16 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
I'm having some fun just trying to contribute what I can to people's threads, and posting my strange harp mics and amps ...

Apr 12, 2010 18:08 PDT
walterharp said,
very impresive brady... the forum has its own feel, and that i like

Apr 11, 2010 23:31 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Brady --

I said earlier that I think that a standard forum program might be more user-friendly, but I must say that I didn't know that you wrote the code for this one. That is mighty impressive. I still think it might be easier to use a standard program for the forum, but I had to compliment you on an amazing job.

Apr 09, 2010 22:54 PDT
BlowsMeAwy Greg said,
Hi, Brady

You've done a wonderful job with this forum and its stability is testimony to your solid code. However I wonder what is your objective - testing your code/offering it to others? Or hosting a forum, hopefully for revenue?

If the latter, why re-invent the wheel? I tend to agree that V-bulletin and similar boards are familiar, have more features, and work just fine - so why not focus on the marketing side and not on having to write code to make a change?

/Greg

Apr 09, 2010 16:55 PDT
Brady Mills said,
Hey guys,

I have read your comments and am considering them carefully. I want to be sure to impress on you how difficult making some of these changes is. The bulletin board is not a program I am using, it (like everything else on the site except chat) was custom built by me. That means that when I go to change the way it works, I cannot simply update the program or add an existing module from a third party...I have to build it.

I will be making some thoughtful decisions about the future of Harmonica Space over the next few weeks. When I have something useful to share with you (about changes and priorities) I will post them on the site. In the meantime, please continue to share your comments and suggestions in this posting. I will continue to read, I will continue to listen, I will continue to process, and we will improve the site...together.

Brady Mills
Owner Brady Mills Graphics
and Creator of HarmonicaSpace
Apr 08, 2010 08:29 PDT
Elwood said,
Brady

I fully understand that this is a labour of love - and a very worthy one at that.

I'd like to reiterate one key complaint that's been voiced here: the forum is a pain in the butt because HarmonicaSpace is just too darn clunky to have a fluid conversation. First it's the login page, then it's the loading page, then the landing page, then the space board, then the room, and at LAST, then the discussion. By the time I've come all that way, I've forgotten what I had to say in the first place.

And then, once I've written it, I am forced to preview it before publishing.

Some people on this board have complained that the MBH forum is just too much of a pissing contest. I hear those complaints, I can certainly see where they're coming from - but for me, the sheer painlessness of talking to the community on that board is what draws me back there every day.

.... And I've just read that Ness has made the same point, but with a great deal more tact.

Apr 08, 2010 05:56 PDT
ness said,
Hi Chris,

I'm on another board that has more than 20 'rooms'. And, the only way to navigate that is to use the 'new activity' button -- if your objective is to see, well, new activity:D.

I agree the rooms are useful for categorizing stuff. And, if you come here looking for information on gear it's sure handy to have it all in one place. Plus, there's the 'search' function if you're looking for something specific. There are plenty of positives here!

John Nesselrode
Apr 08, 2010 05:30 PDT
Chris C said,
G'day Drew good to hear from you.

Hi John Ness. Thanks for the input. I've said before I like the multiple rooms but your suggestion below

I didn't see a place to click and see new activity (regardless of category), which is handy in forums with lots of categories.

I think is a very reasonable one.

Apr 08, 2010 00:55 PDT
OrthodoxBlues said,
Well, I've been a bit scarce lately, and I think that the lack of activity generally led to a lack of activity personally. I'd like to see different software for the forum. It may just be familiarity, but it seems like VBulletin and other forum software options make it easier to post, add photos, delete or revise a post, etc. A small point, but one that I notice when I'm here. I very much appreciate the almost universally respectful tone here. I also need to give myself permission to post more about whatever is up.

Apr 07, 2010 14:43 PDT
Pat P said,
Get rid of the chat room? what? say it ain't so.

p

Apr 07, 2010 10:44 PDT
ness said,
Yes -- I see that. It helps in some circumstances.

John Nesselrode
Apr 07, 2010 10:12 PDT
Harpaholic said,
Ness do you see the Order by date box in the bottom right hand corner of the add your comment box?

I just found out what that was for two weeks ago.

Apr 07, 2010 06:59 PDT
ness said,
Hey folks,

Brand new here, but an old-timer on web forums, so I'll chip in on this topic.

One of the good things about MBH forum is the really basic layout. No categories, no log on to read. You're just there, and can jump in and read what's going on.

This forum software makes it a little clunkier: A login is required to read (right?). The various categories only show the latest post displayed (which may or may not be of interest). The 'reply' box for a topic is below the first post -- requires you to read all the way down then pop back to the top to reply. I didn't see a place to click and see new activity (regardless of category), which is handy in forums with lots of categories.

Anyhow, I don't mean to blow in here and start telling you how to run things right off the bat. But hopefully these comments are helpful. I'm sure it would be a big project to change the forum software, but maybe there are some modifications to the existing package to make this a little better. Maybe just get rid of the categories, and loosen up the requirement to login to read, if that's fairly easy to do.

In any event, I do appreciate having this forum available and the effort that goes into it. This looks like a great place to be -- much more civil discussion and regular folks than there are you-know-where.

John Nesselrode
Apr 06, 2010 23:23 PDT
Big Daddy Ray said,
I think spamming it on some craigslist pages would help,too. I make ads for my photography site and such on there all the time and I always notice an increase in hits.

Apr 06, 2010 19:52 PDT
sgsax said,
I rather like the chat feature. It's the one thing other harp-oriented community sites don't have. I wouldn't mind a chat client that was a little less flaky, though. Personally, I find forums in general cumbersome, in that you have to make an effort to visit them regularly to stay on top of things and participate. I often only check forums once a day (if that), and by that time, the conversaion has typically run its course. I mostly stay up with the forums here by reading the RSS feed. I mostly lurk anyway, so it's enough for me to see what people are talking about.

My personal preference is email listserve over forums, and chat over email. I like the realtime interaction. I only wish people were online for chat here when I am (after 8 or 9 pm CDT).

Thanks for your labor of love, Brady. This is a unique site among the many. I'd hate to see it go by the wayside.

Apr 06, 2010 13:17 PDT
Harpaholic said,
I'm happy to see some of the life coming back to the site, and I'm happy to be a part of it!

Mar 30, 2010 11:43 PDT
Kingobad said,
Please don't lose the chat room! Just because there aren't people there all of the time doesn't mean there aren't people who use it. Nor does it make the place look dead. I like to stop by to see who is on, and there are some great conversations being had.

Mar 30, 2010 02:17 PDT
HarpSkunk said,
Hey there if you all look at Europe on the harmonicaspace map you will see the huge number (ratio of users to population) of us harp nuts in Belgium and Holland (that is The Netherlands to us here in Europe) you expect a bunch in the UK (land of my birth) but there is a hardy crew of guys and girls playing and dreaming here putting up with expensive equipment and poor locations to play but with people who really appreciate the music!! Just wanted to get that off my chest. Long live Harmonica Space, the place where we are all equal.

Thanks Brady.

HrpSknk

Mar 29, 2010 21:13 PDT
Chris C said,
Just had a stupid idea, what if we were to aspire to having the most exensive list of Harmonica frendly Jams worldwide. With reviews and contacts and even sucked up into Brady's magic map. (yes Iknow that was hard work Brady but is the work already done?) If you want to look at the map it is here.

http://www.harmonicaspace.com/map.php

We could do Festivals and Concerts as well but I reckon Jams would be great. I know of at least 20 myself in Aus and NZ.

Mar 29, 2010 19:35 PDT
Ana R said,
I'm here....even when I don't have time for anything else...I'll be here....you guys were great support when I was a newbie and you accepted me with all my (pain in the ass) questiones and my begginers doubts and I love you all because of that.....and...one more time...I LOVE YOU ALL MY DEAREST HARP FRIENDS....your friendship and your advices are the most precious things for me!!!!

Mar 29, 2010 16:33 PDT
Joe L said,
Hey Brady - I like the chat room. It isn't always populated, but it can be a fun place to kill time. I've had some cool discussions with people.

Mar 29, 2010 11:05 PDT
walterharp said,
ditto here too... thanks brady... and much of what goes on in MBH is not much fun anyway

Mar 28, 2010 22:18 PDT
Harpaholic said,
Ditto what Andrew T said!

I can't understand why MBH is so active with this being a much better site with a great group of people that don't have large ego's, claim to know it all, or constantly argue.

I don't get it ??

Mar 28, 2010 21:56 PDT
Andrew T said,
Dear Brady,

Thank you for all you have done for us, here, and for all that you continue to do. The site is terrific (I'll stay with it no matter what changes are made) and the community of talented, sharp, sweet people is genuine and irreplaceable. Just wanted to say thanks!

Sincerely,

Andrew Tauchen

Mar 28, 2010 21:45 PDT
Brady Mills said,
Hello All,

I've read the entire thread!

So, you'll have to bear with me... I hear one major complaint -- get rid of the chat room. That's fine, and we can do away with it. Perhaps it does give the impression that no one is here, but the analytics say that there is a lot of traffic --- so, people are around (maybe not posting, but around)...

Someone mentioned ordering the posts by descending or ascending order... this was implemented a while ago... simply order it yourself using the order by date feature right below the comments area (right-aligned). The reason we offered a choice --- everyone wanted something different (so now you have a choice) ;-)

Rooms --- Add 4 more, take away all of them, keep them the same. We go so many directions on this topic -- so ultimately someone would be unhappy any way we go. One thought I have is that we could (eventually, because obviously it takes a lot of time to make changes like this)... eventually we could have a full list of posts/threads, but the ability to filter by various categories. It's an interesting concept, and hopefully that would be something we could offer in the future.

HarmonicaSpace is a labor of love at this point. The ads don't really support the cost of the site and certainly not the labor that goes into keeping it up to date --- and these changes are only things I can do when there is extra time. So, although it may take a bit to get them done --- these are all certainly issues that will be addressed.

Thank you all for coming here, supporting this site --- and I'm glad to read that there are still many of you who love this space, find it useful and who have gained valuable knowledge and great friendships from our boards and network.

Brady Mills
Owner Brady Mills Graphics
and Creator of HarmonicaSpace
Mar 23, 2010 10:25 PDT
Harpaholic said,
Greg, I'm guilty of getting off topic too. I apologize to the board.

Mar 22, 2010 16:00 PDT
Joe L said,
There is quite a bit to like about this forum.

The people that visit here are pretty nice people. You don't see a lot of ego flashed here.

You can get your questions answered by someone who is knowledgable. In some forums, there is a feeling that the blind are leading the blind. I don't get that feeling here.

The members here have a sense of humility. No one has proclaimed themselves to be one of the best harp players to have ever walked the Earth.

The chat function. There aren't always people in there, but I've participated in some interesting chats. Many of them have even been harmonica related.

Honestly, I was sort of glad that the contest ended. It seemed like some people were posting just enough to meet the minimum criteria for contest qualification.

Mar 22, 2010 11:57 PDT
Mondo said,
Of course you're right, Greg. Now that I think about it, that info probably should have gone in a PM. Would that I could delete or edit it after the fact...

Mar 21, 2010 11:11 PDT
John P said,
Well. i think MBH has drawn a lot of traffic from other forums. Even the number of posts on harp-l is down. i think MBH is popular because of its wide usage. There are literally new posts ever minute. i suspect the popularity has to do with Gussow's wide folowling and the ease of use.

I used to pretty much ignore MBH because the level of dialogue was, for the most part, very pedestrian and way too basic to hold my interest. But, since approximately the beginning of the year there seems to be an increased number of more sophisticated players who've begun to post there regularly, which has made for occasional very interesting threads.

Also, some of the more famous players who used to post here sort of regularly (Jason, Madcat, etc.) have not been active around here lately and I think their regular presence used to help draw people to Harmonica Space.

Mar 21, 2010 09:03 PDT
Chris C said,
I for one like the design of HS. I have no problems logging in as I use an identity keeper that does the work for me. I never use the chat but I could imagine times when it could be usefull. I find the people frendly here and accepting of my dyslexic dribble. I find the multiple rooms helpfull when I want to search for some thing. The Preview function suits me.

But the lack of activity is a worry. If changes have to made then I'm for it because in the end Content is King.

There must be hundreds of users that, like me, naturaly lurk, hungry for more info on this bloddy difficult instrument. Perhaps a little more focus on sound samples. I love the Harmonica Jam website for this. I'm not suggesting to that extent but a bit more that way.

BTW Jawbone K no offence ever intented from this Petite Canard en Noir.

Mar 21, 2010 07:28 PDT
jawbone s said,
I would say it would speed things up to get rid of "rooms" altogether. Hopefully posters would make the heading clear enough that you know what the content is and you can skip over if you are not interested.

Mar 20, 2010 17:50 PDT
Harpaholic said,
I would also like to see the most recent post shown on the top the page, not the bottom.

That makes more sense to me.

Mar 20, 2010 09:41 PDT
Harpaholic said,
Everyone has posted some very good points, and I'm hoping Brady will read this post, and make some changes.

I agree, the chat should go away, and we should be able to look at the forum without signing in as with every other forum on the planet.

There are a couple of rooms that could be replaced with something that will make everyone happy.

Here are the 8 rooms I'd like to see:

1. General Discussion   2. Harmonica Maintenance   3. Amps/Mics/Gear   4. Diatonic

5. Chromatic     6. Music   7. Buy/Sell       8. Web ?

Any thoughts ?

Mar 20, 2010 07:48 PDT
jawbone s said,
Hey Jawbone K - My southern brother from a different mother - they probably thought you were me!!!! So i can totally understand you being blown off!!! ;-)

Mar 20, 2010 06:59 PDT
Jawbone K said,
the ebb and flow thing applies. but for me personally there are other reasons i have slacked off at this forum. being ignored or blown off in the chat after previous warm receptiuons is one. some members know who they are on that topic. another is, some subjects i have posted on the forum here have also been totally ignored, things that i would have thought would be at least worth a comment or two from a member or two.

if my input is not important to anyone here, if my efforts to offer help and counsel are not taken seriously, why would i waste my time hanging around? there are forums where i am well regarded.

Mar 19, 2010 22:16 PDT
Tony W said,
I went to a jam last night where I play with the house band and usually it is packed. Last night there was no more than 10 people there (basically empty) and that always seems weird but it happens every now and then. I don't know what the answer is to the inactivity but even though 1400 members seems like a big number almost everyone has other things going on in their lives other than harp. Also a lot of members are new to harmonica and that creates a problem in itself as more than 80% of people who take up the harp quit straight away. Not something I want just a fact. It is probably true with other musical instruments and that is why there is that real gross thing out there (my opinion only, I don't want to hurt anyone) called guitar hero. People want what they want NOW. I was getting a ride home from a co-worker one day and I asked if I could play my harp for a while as the ride was about an hour long and he said yes. After playing for a while he asked me if I thought that he could play the harmonica like that and how long it would take. I said of course you can, if I can do it you can do it. It would take about 5 years or so to do what I just did and he said OH no effen way! I'll never do that. That was funny, I'll never forget that ride.

keep it in your mouth
Mar 19, 2010 11:01 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
MBH at times resembles Harp-L at its worst for the pissing contests. Even MBH is civil compared to Harp-L earlier in this past decade, but still. On there, theer are both the traditional players as well as the more modern types, but there are also those coming at blues from other genre perspectives so their arguements are gonna get colored by their experiences, etc.

At least with certain topics generated into certain discussion areas, I can easily skip stuff that I may not be interested in at the moment, as too many harp forums dominated by diatonic players often have a tendency to get too gear oriented to the point that it can get really boring and too often not enough discussions about things like technique, theory, groove, especially learning groove is too often thought of way down at the bottom of the barrel, and that's too bad, because those are far more important than the gear aspect is.

Mar 19, 2010 08:46 PDT
jawbone s said,
I will admit I haven't been back here for awhile. I'm on dialup and logging in, bouncing around to check on everything is time consuming. I only have 100 hours per month. (not sure how close I get to that) I actually find I don't even check all the posts on the other two forums I am on. Quite often it is "check out this you tube or see this video" then I'm frustrated. The members of this forum are very civil and helpful - I like that - I may as well be honest - MBH seems to end up in a lot of pi$$ing contests, altho it's entertaining it's not helpful. It is quite active but sometimes slow to download and I tend to skip over many topics.

I think if the log on was eliminated or sped up and you could jump right into all topics on one page would speed things up (for my slow computer, anyway)

Don't know if this helps?? Just my point of view.

Mar 19, 2010 06:50 PDT
Duane C. said,
HS is always the first harmonica site I check. It's at the top of my bookmarks and will stay there. I have a couple others in my list, but I don't like them as well. One has every thing all listed together and it's like looking for a needle in a haystack to find info that I currently need.

I particularly like that we can submit a photo and some basic bio info, it gives a sense of knowing who your talking to, seems much more friendly and personel. I have found lots of my questions answered here, some I didn't even know I had.

Jamm'n for the enjoyment and challenge!

Mar 19, 2010 01:21 PDT
Kingley said,
In my opinion in a few problems that stop people posting here as frequently as MBH or Bushman for example.

You have to log in just to see the forums which quite frankly is I suspect the main reason. The multiple rooms don't help as things aren't kept fresh and are hidden immediately by the next post in the section in the forum index page.

It might be an idea if it were just an open forum like MBH or Bushman where you can read it all but have to register to post. I'd scrap the chat room as it doesn't have that much traffic since the initial flirtation that people had with it.This might make the forum simpler to use and make it more traffic friendly.

Just my opinion of course.

Mar 18, 2010 22:04 PDT
Andrew T said,
I hope HS keeps on kickin. I've talked with great people and learned alot here. Thanks everybody. And keep posting!

Mar 18, 2010 21:02 PDT
BlowsMeAwy Greg said,
I have the same concern. Why does Gussow's forum get more traffic? Everything in one room, for one thing. I think people need to see a certain amount of activity - as evidenced by the rate at which threads move down. Dividing into multiple rooms slows that and seems to hurt the forums that do it. But I noticed new members seem to sign up here a lot - but then ... where are they? Do they know "space board" is a forum? Maybe that title needs work too. I think the chat room should be REMOVED - It doesn't get used any more and people are likely to assume nothing happens here because nothing happens there.

Mondo - next time, if you have a question that has nothing to do with the thread title (in this case, "harmonica space dying a slow painful death") please ask in an appropriate thread, or start a new one. One of the reasons ANY forum succeeds or fails is that people can find useful information there. Nobody will later find information of your topic because they won't look in this thread. Thanks.

Mar 18, 2010 19:23 PDT
Mondo said,
Hmmm... looks like the board has a "compressor", too! Hahaha...

The line in my last post should have a plus sign in it to have it read "helps to limit audio peaks, both positive and negative". Such are the dangers of online posting ;)

Mar 18, 2010 19:18 PDT
Mondo said,
Joe, glad you like the tone. Ron said for Jazz he liked gain down low (9:00-ish) and output up as needed. For compressed tone, gain up to 11:00 or more as desired and keep output low - maybe 8:30 to 9:00.

The compression control is actually a real compressor and fairly clean unless above about 2:00. At that point you can hear the compressor work. Below that it is fairly transparent and helps to limit audio peaks, both and -, for a tighter sound. Full CC is off.

The new tone circuit is his current favorite and will be the one he puts into the small amps he's bringing out.

As for Saturday, I have another jam to be at. But, if you want to swing by I can loan you the cables for plugging into your stereo. I've used the L/R/Vid inputs on the front of my receiver before and it worked great. So, if yours has something similar it should work. Otherwise, hang on to it (but not forever! LOL)

Mar 18, 2010 15:31 PDT
walterharp said,
hey abner, hope the recovery goes well! i like the people on this forum, they seem a bit more down to earth and civil, and as bbq mentioned, not as hung up on blues.

Mar 18, 2010 10:38 PDT
BluEyes said,
as for me, im still recovering and lots of Physical Therapy.

I use my Iphone a lot and I still can not comment using my phone. Thats my reason.

thats just me. I don't want to see this site go away, its a great place to learn.

good luck

Mar 18, 2010 09:47 PDT
Harpaholic said,
Don, I have tried it with different mics, and amps. It sounds great with any mic, or amp.

The only thing I have to be aware of is feedback when using it as a preamp into a combo amp, because it has some serious gain. It's easy to control with the input and output control's.

It's sounds great as a stand alone unit into a PA. The tone through a PA is 100% Fat Chicago blues tone! No DI box needed.

I have not tried recording with it, or running it through my stereo, but I will do that today. I'm not sure how to hook it up to my stereo, but I'll figure it out.

Sat's jam is on at Tim's if you want to bring your bass, and I'll bring your HC, but you can't have it back! Ha!

Mar 17, 2010 21:04 PDT
Boris Plotnikov said,
I wondered about english speaking forums. The more forum is like laystall the more acivity takes place.

MBH forum has no divisions for topics and it's fairly active. http://www.harmonicaclub.com/phpBB2/index.php is almost dead too. The most active forum Harp-l is the most awkward with almost no usability.

The main (almost the only in fact) Russian forum http://forum.harmonica.ru/ is pretty organized, accomodative and active.

Mar 17, 2010 17:11 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
You also have to remember that every forum has ebbs and flows where there are times it's totally crazy or totally quiet at different stages. One thing to remember with this forum is that there's a far wider spectrum of players who play in genres outside of blues and some of the blues oriented forums are busier with blues oriented players, and here at least I can get in contact with players outside of the blues thing as it's a totally different approach to things and just look at the postings about tone, players who were more blues oriented all posted tone based on blues players only, and those who come from other music genres posted from genres outside of it.

I think some people may want a blues only forum without realizing it and I like being in contact with people outside of the blues genre even tho I myself am coming from a traditonal blues background but I don't cut myself off from other genres as some players do.

I'd also like to see more chromatic players post here to give the forum more variety than just a blues only forum. Believe me, some of the harp tweaking tips I've learned over the years came from old time chromatic players and I have enormous respect for these guys.

Mar 17, 2010 13:37 PDT
HarpSkunk said,
I hope HS stays healthy, I for one check in daily and read a lot, I will try to post more too. I am really grateful for the generous advice I have recieved when I've posted questions, it has helped me no end.

Right now I am looking to buy my first valve amp ( normally I use a Danelectro Nifty Fifty or the house PA)but all I see are guitar amps and the 'names' (HG 2, Cruncher etc.) are not easily available here in Belgium at a price I can afford, still the dreaming is fun!

Thanks to Brady for a GREAT forum/site, this is the most user friendly for me.

HrpSknk

Mar 17, 2010 12:31 PDT
Not a said,
AAAARRRGGGHH! I guess you just can't force it. I suppose that there IS a threshold on the number of online harmonica-related forums afterall. If the content isn't unique, and the users don't seem to care all that much about making it unique, then there's nothing differentiating this place from all the other ones out there. And when you've got some venues that are as active as they are, why would anyone who is a member of both bother wasitng the time to post over here when they know they will be answered within MINUTES at the other place? Why even bother duplicating posts across the forums when you know that the user base overlaps by about 70% anyway? These are difficult questions, but I think the truth of the matter lies somewhere in this vein.

Mar 17, 2010 12:09 PDT
Mondo said,
Joe, can you tell me what you think about the Holmes Harp Commander II that was upgraded to a Jr.? How's that working out? Have you tried different types of mics into it? Have you plugged the output into a P.A., your stereo system or anything wild? How about recording with it directly?

Deford Bailey's Fox Chase - my favorite riff!

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 06:03:06 -0800
topic started by Lost T
Third tutorial video about Deford Bailey's Fox Chase!
This video is dedicated to a great riff of Deford Bailey, that is my favorite riff!
To make this video I have studied the old tapes of Deford Bailey thoroughly, and I've included additional information and comments of DeFord Bailey...
I have also included score and tabs, and I try that everyone can enjoy playing the country and blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysSQa5lgzfo

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

Deford Bailey's Fox Chase revised videos!

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:34:45 -0800
topic started by Lost T

My first two videos dedicated to Deford Bailey had some small mistakes. Sorry. I decided to publish this second corrected version.
Hope you enjoy.

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase - 1st part (REVISED) - Intro & Riff 1 - Blues Harp - Intermediate level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQm171dr2lg

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase - 2nd part (REVISED) - Riffs 2 & 3 - Blues Harp - Intermediate level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxMYqbOfGpY

Whoopin' The Fox Chase!

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:32:27 -0800
topic started by Lost T
Second tutorial video about Deford Bailey's Fox Chase! This video is dedicated to two typical riffs, with these we can practice the whoops, a thecnique that has influenced all the great blues harp players.
To make this video I have studied the old tapes of Deford Bailey thoroughly, and I've included additional information and comments of DeFord Bailey...
I have also included score and tabs, and I try that everyone can enjoy playing the country and blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiRG_gqxYag

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

Nov 13, 2012 09:32 PST
Lost T said,
My first two videos dedicated to Deford Bailey had some small mistakes. Sorry. I decided to publish this second corrected version.
Hope you enjoy.

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase - 1st part (REVISED) - Intro & Riff 1 - Blues Harp - Intermediate level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQm171dr2lg

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase - 2nd part (REVISED) - Riffs 2 & 3 - Blues Harp - Intermediate level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxMYqbOfGpY

Nov 10, 2012 08:21 PST
Mondo said,
That's an awesome video! So precise that even I feel I could follow it.

Thank you,

Mondo

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase tutorial video

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:30:12 -0800
topic started by Lost T
First tutorial video about Deford Bailey's Fox Chase! To make this video I studied the old tapes of Deford Bailey thoroughly, and I've included additional information and comments of DeFord Bailey... I'm very fond of this video. I have also included score and tabs, and we have gone through some techniques used by DeFord Bailey: tongue blocking, slaps, pulls,... I try and that everyone can enjoy playing the country and blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jlAJZc8aaE

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos: http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

Nov 13, 2012 09:30 PST
Lost T said,
My first two videos dedicated to Deford Bailey had some small mistakes. Sorry. I decided to publish this second corrected version.
Hope you enjoy.

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase - 1st part (REVISED) - Intro & Riff 1 - Blues Harp - Intermediate level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQm171dr2lg

DeFord Bailey's Fox Chase - 2nd part (REVISED) - Riffs 2 & 3 - Blues Harp - Intermediate level
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxMYqbOfGpY

Oct 25, 2012 13:32 PDT
Troy W said,
Thanks for the Deford Bailey Fox Chase lesson, I'm a big fan of Pre-War harmonica :)

a harmonica club in Coventry, Westmidlands, UK

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:28:14 -0800
topic started by Hilly S
Hi all,

maybe there are some of you members in my area of Coventry, that would like to join a harmonica club??? If / when we have enough members, meetings every two weeks / twice a month in a rehearsal studio. Fancy it? have a look and see if You like what you see:

http://coventry-harmonica.co.uk

Are there any more harmonica clubs, do You run a club?? If I may ask Please, share your experiences here??

Hilly

口琴箱

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:49:35 -0700
topic started by Katsuyuki S
http://ameblo.jp/harpman/entry-11301676353.html

Oct 12, 2012 21:49 PDT
HARPMAN said,
>Mondo Thanks comment. I will try English page.
Jul 13, 2012 17:13 PDT
Mondo said,
Harpman, your site is all in Japanese. Do you have an English page you could link us to? Sure would like to see what you're writing about the harmonica!

MARINE BAND MS CUSTOM

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:05:36 -0700
topic started by Katsuyuki S
http://ameblo.jp/harpman/entry-11378249807.html

Sixth and final tutorial video about Walter's Boogie

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:30:52 -0700
topic started by Lost T
In these six videos we have gone through the intro, the main theme, the last chorus and the ending of Walter's Boogie.
In this video I have included a final review of all the videos in this series.
I have also included score and tabs, and we have gone through some techniques used by Big Walter Horton: flutters, growls, slaps, pulls,...
I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqBE-02g8po

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

New Room - Jobs/Gigs

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:06:31 -0700
topic started by Brady M
Hey Harmonica-Spacers,

We have a new room in our forum called: Harmonica Jobs/Gigs. This room is for posting harmonica jobs or for finding jobs. I have one that may be coming through later today, which was sent to me via email. It made me think... hey, some of you guys might be interested in a room for these types of postings.

Hope you enjoy it!

Brady Mills
Owner Brady Mills Graphics
and Creator of HarmonicaSpace
Sep 24, 2012 21:06 PDT
Brasso said,
Brady, Sounds great to me can you also advertise to link up with an acoustic guitar player who would like to jam, etc? Thanks.

KOH

Joey "B"    AKA Brasso

"KEEP ON HARPIN"
Brasso

Stuck 5 Draw Reed

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 04:00:59 -0700
topic started by Broke Leg J
I've had at least one Hohner Golden Melody and Special 20 end up with stuck 5 draw reeds (after playing for a few months). I've had another Special 20 with a stuck reed and I think it was the 5 draw. I've been playing for 9 months and am a little alarmed at trashing 3 harps. I took the recent Special 20 apart and used a thin sheet of paper to increase the gap slighty (based on a you tube video), but the reed is still mis-aligned with the slot and it still sticks. I suspect I'm using too much air (which I'm working on). Does anyone have any helpful suggestions? Are Suzuki Bluesmaster harps more durable?

Sep 22, 2012 04:00 PDT
Chris S said,

I play mostly Lee Osar harps. They have replaceable reed plates which is a must have feature if you play a lot. The down side is the replacement red plates are around $25 a pair. I very rarely have to replace a reed plate. In most cases when I have a single note stick it is because of debris and muck. I tried several options to clean the reed plates. Most cleaned well but in some cases it did not clean well enough to fix the stuck reed. I bought some agricultural strength vinegar (20%). You can find it in the organic section at Lowe shareware. I dissemble the harp and soak the reed plats in the vinegar for an hour or so. (Vertically, in a narrow tall glass) I rinse with water, reassemble the harp and it fixed the problem 95% of the time. If this doesn’t work it is time to move on to a new replacement reed plate. I hope this helps you folks out there and saves you a few bucks.

Aug 04, 2010 18:40 PDT
Broke Leg J said,
Thanks guys

Aug 04, 2010 16:57 PDT
AirMojo (Ken H) said,
Make yourself a "reed wrench" from a thick feeler gauge... if you haven't already, go buy a set of autmotive feeler gauges that have various thicknesses.

You can make a variety of harp tools from them.

Strongly advise getting Rupert Oysler's DVD "Harmonica Repair and Modification". Lots of great information, and entertaining as well.

Every harp player should know how to tweak his harps and fix the little things that can go wrong.

Aug 03, 2010 22:11 PDT
Eric S said,
Use a .002 feeler gauge, Hold the plate up to a light and you will be able to see how the reed slot is filled with the reed in it, and which way to move the reed. I us a razor and carefuly scape the edges of slot if you can see burrs. A little bit goes a long way, be careful. good luck

Eric S.

Jul 27, 2010 15:52 PDT
Broke Leg J said,
Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes. What size feeler guage do I need?

Jul 27, 2010 12:18 PDT
walterharp said,
you can wash them out with soap and water, just use some dish soap in the reed slots and rinse liberally with hot water, knock the extra water out of the harmonica with moderate force and let dry for a few hours. if that does not cure the problem, take of the cover plates, and gently use the thin metal thing you can cut out of a cd security tag (or similar plastic tag to keep people from walking out of the store with stuff), to slide up and down the sides between the reed and the slot in the reed plate. be careful not to get it caught and then pull and damage the reed. if you cannot get the reed to sound well after this, then it might be dead, or if you are more adventuresome, take the reed plate off the comb and look at a bright light behind it. Can you see where the reed is sticking, if so then try to get rid of that burr with the cd strip or a very small file. good luck

Jul 27, 2010 06:55 PDT
John P said,
Hohner reeds do sometimes do get misaligned. I'm no expert on this, but if you get a feeler gague you can very gently insert a thin feeler strip along the side of the reed that's binding and move it over very slightly. In fact, sometimes just sticking the feeler strip in there moves the reed enough to solve the problem. The strip you select can't be so thin that it's too flexible to move the reed, but it doessn't take a lot of force to algn the reed. You can also use the feeler gague to gap.

I like Suzuki Hammonds. Best out of the box harps i've ever played and EXTREMELY durable. Reeds are welded, so they CAN"T get misaligned. Great harps.

Btw, it's not just breath force that trashes harps--it's also HOW you create the breath pressure. Keeping an open and relaxed airway and oral resonance chamber and creating all air pressure FROM THE DIAPHRAGM is easier on the reeds even if you play hard, and creates superior tone. Creating air pressure with the mouth/lips is VERY hard on the reeds and if you play that way, you will blow out a lot of reeds quickly, especially if you play hard.

W "Shakey" Horton tutorial

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 04:57:06 -0700
topic started by Lost T
Fifth tutorial video about Walter's Boogie! In these five videos we have gone through the intro, main theme and last chorus of Walter's Boogie.
I have included score and tabs, and we have gone through some techniques used by Big Walter Horton: flutters, growls, slaps, pulls,...
I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZstpG_Rc4TM

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

help me in one tab

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 03:50:53 -0700
topic started by Led E
Hello all players! Im from Ukraine, thats why my english is bad;)
I still stady and play on my harp everyday over 6 months.
I want to learn to play one riff from this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yuHtoMK7dE

I know its very simple, but i dont know on what holes it play.
Somebody help me please!

Sep 13, 2012 03:50 PDT
Jimbo G said,
if i were to try reperlicate it id do, 2D down to 2Dbend back to 2D, 1-4D or 1234D, 2B

4th part. Walter's Boogie tutorial video (score & tabs)

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:30:54 -0700
topic started by Lost T
Fourth tutorial video about Walter's Boogie! In these four videos we have gone through the intro and the main theme.
I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sXblvISb1k

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

HarpLock Magnetic Harmonica Holder

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:10:26 -0700
topic started by Gary A
I imagine a number of people here may have some interest in a harmonica holder I carry called HarpLock. It holds the harp with a rubber covered magnet and eliminates the need for a rack.

www.harplock.com

I hope you don't consider my post spam. Even if you don't buy one, you still might be interested to know about an alternative to the rack for playing hands-free harmonica .

HarpLock is not for everybody, but If you play harmonica and another instrument simultaneously, you really ought to take a look. HarpLock should be used with a stable mic stand and is designed to fit on a Sure SM 58 or Beta 58 microphone. (More sizes soon.)

It works well and I've posted some of the positive feedback I've received at my website. Still, I can't resist showing you an e-mail I got yesterday. It couldn't have been any more succinct.

Hi Gary,

thank you for the fast shipping to germany.

I installed the HarpLock within seconds on my SM58 and ... holy shit, this thing works perfect for me.

Thank you so much

Greetings from germany

Andreas

Thanks for taking the time to look at this. Again, I'm not trying to be a spammer. I promise not to flood the group with messages about HarpLock, but if you have questions about it, visit the website, send me an e-mail or give me a call.

Sincerely

Gary Applegate

317-782-9948

www.harplock.com

Need help rigging up "harp stand"

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:17:36 -0700
topic started by Andrew T
I have an idea (one I'm determined to fully realize!) but I'm not sure exactly how to pull it off.

IDEA: I play guitar and sing in my new band and, instead of finding a new guitar player so I can switch to harp, I would rather be able to play guitar and harp at the same time without that cumbersome neck rack. I thought about just setting up a separate harp "station" as it were, next to my mic stand. It would be like a second mic stand with a harp mic on it and an apparatus in front of the mic that would securely hold the harp up to the mic but also be easy to swap harps in and out of? That way, while playing guitar, one could simply walk up to it and start blowing while still playing guitar. I once saw something like it in a Joe Satriani (the guitar virtuoso) video. Does anyone know if someone already manufactures a professional version of this "harp mic stand/harp holder." If not, does anyone have any ideas on how to make something like this myself?

Sep 03, 2012 13:17 PDT
jerry r said,
I have made such a stand. Later I can send you pics of it. I used the heaviest duty ludwig drum stand and welded the clamp from a regular neck type rack. So far it works fine. I use a goose neck and sm57 directly to board for my sound. Keeps it simple and usable for gigs, also keeps harp stuff out of the way for my guitar, etc.
Feb 02, 2010 14:41 PST
BluEyes said,
Greg I saw that six pack, every interesting.

abner (BluEyes, Hungry for the Blues)

Feb 02, 2010 10:41 PST
BlowsMeAwy Greg said,
????? YEAH - the post was HERE, it was from Boris and is harpjack.com

I think the web page only partially loaded and I didn't see any replies - thought it was a new question. Either that, or I simply brain farted. AGAIN.

Feb 02, 2010 10:37 PST
BlowsMeAwy Greg said,
There was just a post on this somewhere and I'll be damned if I can remember where. There is a guy who was at SPAH 2009 who makes EXACTLY what you want only better. It is a hexagonal shaped wood rack that holds 5 - maybe 6 harps - there's a built-in mic in the center and it is on a stand. Just spin it to choose the right harp. Now you know there IS something just right - maybe someone else will remember where the post was and give us the link to his site.....

Feb 02, 2010 09:38 PST
skullShaker said,
Ok I'm working on this idea for a Harp holder. I'll have it made by the weekend not much to it. and it may not be what you want. I'm using a VACUUM UPHOLSTERY TOOL. the harp fits in end and one of my home made mics ( shaker Mic) is added to the hose end I'll put a mic stand to it all . may be something to it'

Playing the Blues for life
Jan 22, 2010 07:32 PST
Boris Plotnikov said,
I've find the thing you're looking for.

http://harpjack.com/

Multiple harmonica holder mic. The main problem - it's really hard to play harp and guitar simultaneously. I've tried many times but my harp playing goes lower and guitar playing too. It' necesarry for me to practice it for a long time, so I harmonica player mainly.

Jan 20, 2010 00:11 PST
Andrew T said,
Yesterday I had my first practice with the aforementioned new band! It was awesome (in spite of the fact that I resorted to using a neck rack). I'm still planning on rigging something up to play harp in this harder rockin power trio without being tied down to a neck rack. I'll post pics when I get it goin. Music is awesome! Everyone on HS should start a new band (even if you're already in one, be in two lol) :)

Jan 17, 2010 12:07 PST
BluEyes said,
At the last open mic I went to this guy named Angry Billy plays the harp, When I came along he was kind and back off and stared bringing his electric guitar so this way I have more harp time.

any way this past Wednesday he brought this mic stand with an extension so he can play the harp. No neck rack. it worked. The best I can do to describe it is a mic stand with and extension, and the extension has a fitting that holds a mic. that mic is face up tight to a tube that goes to the harp.

I wish I had a camera, I know my description is confusing at best. The next time he brings it in I will make sure to post it.

abner ( BluEyes, need to always bring a camera )

Jan 17, 2010 11:14 PST
Tony W said,
Go here. Very simple, very cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1UyPh3Z3LI&feature=rec-fresh div-r-2-HM

Jan 13, 2010 17:30 PST
Andrew T said,
Great idea, Tony! I'm going to attempt something along those lines. I just need to figure out how to practically pull it off; securing the modified harmonica rack to the harp mic. When I get something worked out I'll share pics for sure. Thanks for the suggestion!

Jan 13, 2010 12:12 PST
Tony W said,
Okay, I had a moment of thought and here is what I would do or start out doing anyway. Picture the mic stand as person and the mic is the mouth. Now just install the standard harp rack to it and play away. Of course there will be some mods needed but seems like it might work.

Good luck and send pics.

Jan 13, 2010 01:41 PST
Andrew T said,
Good ideas, guys! Thanks! Mad Cat wasn't mic-ed with his "chip clip" type setup, as far as I could tell. He's a great player though!

The peg leg music guy seems to be making EXACTLY what I'm talking about! The way it's mic-ed is scary. Seems like it might sacrifice tone. Has a satisfaction guarantee though... so it might be worth a try!

That neck rack looks comfortable; state-of-the-art. However it's pricey and I'm in the market for something that gets me AWAY from racks and into a stationary setup from which I can disengage at will.

Again, thanks for the tips, fellas. I can't wait to keep moving forward with this project!

Jan 12, 2010 19:41 PST
OrthodoxBlues said,
Chris Reynolds (builderofstuff here on HS, last I knew) makes a fantastic neck rack:

http://www.builderofstuff.com/enr.html

I know that you don't want a better rack, but I wonder if Chris could make you want you want. Please let us know how this idea works out. I play guitar and harp, and haven't got used to doing both yet, although I love Chris' rack.

Jan 12, 2010 17:14 PST
BlueMoose said,
Hummm....try this:

http://pegleggmusic.com/

Some guy has a whole wack of patents on something or other but I don't see any pictures.

ain't busted but I'm badly bent
Jan 12, 2010 17:13 PST
John P said,
Check out Mad Cat Ruth on YouTube. He has a set up like you want made with a bider clip that's used for papers

Confused By The Minor Keys

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 05:49:11 -0700
topic started by Robert M
I have been playing around on harmonica for about 20 yrs. and the 4 or 5 songs that I played I play very well. I have taken it to the next level and formed a band. We have been practicing for several months and are just about ready to play out. I have read several articles about minor keys and am confused. My musical knowledge is limited. When do I need to use a harmonica tuned in a minor key and can you use the minor to play major or vise versa. Also on a song like say Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" would a harp in Em sound better. I have read that you have more room playing in a minor key, so I guess I just need to be schooled a little. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

New Harp Player

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 22:26:18 -0700
topic started by earl h
I have just started playing harp. I need some iput on some websites that will have the best prices on harps. Looking to spend $50-60 Dollars.

Thanks for the help...

Aug 26, 2012 22:26 PDT
Mondo said,
Two of the best are Rockin' Ron's and Coast-To-Coast:

Walter's Boogie tutorial video. 3rd

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 02:40:39 -0700
topic started by Lost T
It's my 3rd tutorial video dedicated to Walter's Boogie.
I try to accurately reproduce the original, and that everyone can enjoy playing the blues harp... I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm2bY66hzb4

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos:
http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

Big Walter Horton video tutorial. 2nd part.

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 02:17:31 -0700
topic started by Lost T
It's my second video tutorial dedicated to Big Walter Horton, I hope you enjoy it,
2nd part. Bars 1 to 4 of the Walter's Boogie main theme. Blues harp tutorial. Advanced level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv-_cWKJ7qg

In my blog you can find an index organized by levels of all my tutorial videos and more...

http://lostharp.blogspot.com.es/

Diminished Seydel Soloist Pro 12 steel

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:30:52 -0700
topic started by David L
Hey folks. 33 year old folk/bluegrass/jug harp player (and, to a lesser degree, banjo player) with some questions about diminished harps. I've been thinking of picking one up for the first time to experiment with minor modes, chromatic playing and general sonic weirdness, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I've been thinking of getting a soloist pro 12 steel. There aren't a lot of options out there for diminished "diatonic" harps, and I've been really pleased with the quality and sound of the reeds on my 1847 silver. Also, the extra range of a 12 hole harp is appealing. Does anyone have any experience with the soloist pro 12 steel or with diminished tunings on a diatonic? What do you folks think? Is the pro 12 steel a good choice? Thanks for any help you can give me!

David

Really Cool Harmonica Cases for sale

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 23:27:39 -0700
topic started by christian J
Hi guys,

I have Hand Built, Pre-made Harmonica Cases available for sale on my website as well as my bespoke, made to order service. Go check them out or contact me if you are interested.

WORLDWIDE DELIVERY!

Here are just a few examples.

Handmade Custom Diatonic/Chromatic Harmonica Case in Red Cocoa Lavant Tolex, custom or standard insert to fit up to 14 diatonic harmonicas or other types depending on specifications.

£69.99 GBP + postage ($108.48 USD)

Handmade Custom Diatonic/Chromatic Harmonica Case in Brown Alligator Tolex, custom or standard insert to fit up to 14 diatonic harmonicas or other types depending on specifications.

£69.99 GBP + postage ($108.48 USD)

Handmade Custom Diatonic/Chromatic Harmonica Case in Purple Haze Snakeskin Tolex, custom or standard insert to fit up to 14 diatonic harmonicas or other types depending on specifications.

£69.99 GBP + postage ($108.48 USD)

Handmade 14 Hole Chromatic Harmonica Case in an Olive Drab Canvas with an eye catching Red Plastazote Interior and finished with Antique Style Fixtures .

£29.99 + Postage ($46.48 USD)

Microphone Stand Attachable or Non Microphone Stand Attachable Aluminium Cases. Signature Plastazote insert -Standard 20 diatonic or Custom cut to fit your equipments exact dimentions. Insert colour choice. Available in Red, Black and Silver.

£59.99 GBP + postage ($92.98 USD)- Standard
£69.99 GBP + postage($108.48 USD) - Mic Stand Attachable

----------

And if none of these catch your eye I make custom harmonica case, made to order, in any specification and fittings, mic stand attachable or not, a lot to choose from, all details on my website.

Examples-

http://slimscustomcases.com

Jul 29, 2012 23:27 PDT
Mondo said,
Wow! Very nice work, Christian!

layouts for octave harmonica

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:52:07 -0700
topic started by Susan S
Please help! I'm a complete newbie.

I've got a vintage 24 hole Hohner Seductora (given to my son from his grandfather), and I'd like to get a layout for it. The only ones I can find on the net are for harmonicas in the key of C, but mine has a big F on it, so i'm assuming it's in the key of F? And once I know the notes, does this mean that he can learn easy songs in the key of C? Or am I totally confused after too many hours spent staring at my computer screen?

Jul 26, 2012 13:52 PDT
walterharp said,
it is in the key of "F" so you should be able to play simple melodies in that key.

F, G, A, B flat, C, D, E, F

so this gives the C layout start where the C is in the layout, and put in the F so C=F, D=G, E=A etc...

Octave 24 reed

Simplified layout for Unsere Lieblinge 24 in C.

blow
E

G

C'

E'

G'

C"

hole No.
1

2

3

4

5

6

draw
G

B

D'

F'

A'

B'

Jul 22, 2012 08:11 PDT
Mondo said,
Susan,

I'm no harp expert, but I found a picture of your harp and it appears to be 28 holes (2 rows of 14). Also, here is a nice page that talks about Hohner OCTAVE TUNED HARMONICAS.

Hope this helps!

Big Walter Horton video tutorial

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:26:15 -0700
topic started by Lost T
It's my first video tutorial dedicated to Big Walter Horton, I hope you enjoy it,

1st part. Walter's Boogie Intro. Blues harp tutorial. Advanced
level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjZoWDLWIp0

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjZoWDLWIp0]Big Walter Horton Boogie - 1st part - Intro. Blues Harp - Advanced level[/url]

Description:
We will learn some techniques used by Big Walter Horton: flutters, growls, slaps, pulls,...
We will practice playing one of his greatest hits: Walter's Boogie.
I have included the score. Do not worry if you can not read sheet music as you play the riff following the drawing of the harmonica.
Key of Song: E. Harmonica: A harmonica in 2ond position.

Third and last video in the series

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:28:58 -0700
topic started by Lost T
It's the last part of my video dedicated to Little Walter side-to-side flutter... I hope you enjoy!

">V-IV-I Chords & Ending. Little Walter's side-to-side flutter - 3rd part. Blues Harp - Advanced level

slim's custom cases website is back online

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:57:41 -0700
topic started by christian J

So after a year we decided to make some changes to the website and now the website is back online, hopefully all the bugs have been sorted, but if anyone has a problem please let us know.

We Now have an online shop too where you can buy ready made cases.

We will be adding to the options over the next week so keep checking back for some great new options.
Slim's Harmonica shop will be back in the future once we have it working the way we want, but if anyone wants to order ant Suzuki or Seydel products feel free to contact me.

Keep your eyes peeled for a video review from Ronnie Shellist, I sent him one of my signature cases recently, just before his new album tour to promote his new CD "Til Then" (check it out it's great).

The competition to win one of my new signature mic stand attachable case is still in the works and details of which will be posted soon.

Hope you all enjoy the new look and feel of the website.

Slim.

Tutorial youtube: Little Walter tongue trill

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:35:22 -0700
topic started by Lost T
It's my 2nd video about Little Walter side-to-side flutter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgKKWd5ezgM

Jun 22, 2012 07:35 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
Hi, it's not quite correct because what LW did also includes doing a throat vibrato at the same time.

need help with the harmonica notes in a song

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:59:20 -0700
topic started by Peter C
I am a new harmonica player but I want to be able to play the harmonica in this song as I sing karaoke and I would be able to delete the harmonica sound on the backing track. I need a few clarification on the harmonica part to this song. I am aware the song is in the key of C and hence I need a C harp. I played around with my guitar and found out the notes if I am not wrong is C, B. A, G, G, A.    Am I right? Does playing this little harmonica riff requires bending any notes? I cannot bend notes yet. Am I right playing this little riff means blowing on hole 4 (C), drawing on hole 3 (B), drawing & bending a whole step on hole 3 (A), blowing on hole 3 twice (G G) and ending on A (draw and bend half a step on hole 3) . Is this accurate? This requires bending one note (A) but is there a way of playing this riff without bending any notes? This is the song and the harmonica riff is at the beginning lasting for a few seconds starting from 0.10 to 0.15 on the timer. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiUUtbALp_0

Can anyone help me?

Jun 12, 2012 04:59 PDT
Jawbone K said,
my apologies, i am more a gut type player and so can't help with the specifics of what to do on this song. BUT i can hear a lot of great possibilities for harmonica in this one.

what i have always found attractive about harmonica is that it is so close to the human voice and such a versatile instrument. over many years i have played many different parts on many different songs.

one way i would approach this song would be as you say, with a C harp and playing in 1st position, which is primarily blow notes. the exciting thing to me here is that one can soar into the higher register in that position.

i also hear very good possibilities for cross harp or 2nd position, where you would play an F harp using mostly draw notes and mostly between 1 and 6 holes on the harp.

let me make one other suggestion: as you become familiar with the harmonica, explore bending notes. no need to draw too hard to get results, but what draw bends do is give you hald steps and actually whole and steps-and-a-half on a given harp and hole. there is a lot of free information on this with a google search.

best of luck to you and i hope this helped in some small measure!

May 12, 2012 12:17 PDT
walterharp said,
here is a link

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Harmonica/Harmonica_Layouts_and_Alternate_Tunings

where you can see the notes on diatonic harmonicas and see if they match those you figured out on the guitar.. there are no bends in these diagrams

$10 for $50 to spend at Vistaprint...

Thu, 10 May 2012 01:06:59 -0700
topic started by Brady M
I just got $50 to spend at Vistaprint for only $10. This is enough to get you 500 custom designed business cards. I thought many of you guys could use this deal.

Go get yours here: https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/288658?ref=conf-jp&rpi=52876054

Brady Mills
Owner Brady Mills Graphics
and Creator of HarmonicaSpace
May 10, 2012 01:06 PDT
Stefan M said,
I used to print with them alot, but since they have introduced the cross selling bit at the checkout, the whole ordering process is rather annoying and time consuming. Apart from that, the prices announced at the beginning of the ordering process is likely to change during the checkout. Overall the quality of their products is good, but I rather stick with print24. Print24 is so easy to use and ordering on their website does not take longer than 2-3 mins. Perfect!

Trying out Juke through my new JT-30 SUKM

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:42:04 -0700
topic started by SUKM // R
thank you Ant for this fine review //

SUKM // Rharley

May 04, 2012 11:42 PDT
Darrick F said,
Great playing.Little Walter would be proud of you!

Jan 26, 2012 17:10 PST
pat s said,
Outstanding !! What key was that?

Mar 25, 2011 18:48 PDT
walterharp said,
cool!

Mar 23, 2011 15:28 PDT
Tony W said,
Nice job on Juke!

keep it in your mouth

this here is some JUKIN'

Tue, 01 May 2012 04:41:04 -0700
topic started by Jawbone K
link is to a recent show with Bluesboy Jag.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bluesboy+jag+reno%27s&oq=bluesboy+jag+reno%27s&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=youtube-psuggest.3...749.3246.0.3442.7.7.0.0.0.0.121.796.0j7.7.0.

Hill Country Harmonica events calendar

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:26:30 -0700
topic started by jeff s

Hill Country Harmonica Schedule Below OR you can download the PDF at www.hillcountryharmonica.com

SCHEDULE FOR HILL COUNTRY HARMONICA 2012
FRIDAY, MAY 18TH - ALL EVENTS ON FRIDAY ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

NOON to 3:00 P.M. Registration: Pick up your event pass
4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Meet up @ The Shack: BBQ Adam Gussow at The Shack BBQ
9:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Live Open Jam hosted by Deak Harp at Rooster's Blues House

THE FIRST DAY: SATURDAY, MAY 19TH @ Hill Country Harmonica

7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Registration: Pick up your event pass
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

·         BEGINNERS CLASS with Brandon Bailey: Lip Pursing & Tongue Blocking

9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Breakfast (a la carte)
9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Formal Welcome
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Morning Break Out Sessions with

·         Adam Gussow 12 Bar Blues - Implying the changes

·         Mitch Kashmar Playing with a group - staying in the groove

·         Phil Wiggins Bending, Tone and the 1-4-5

·         Todd Parrott Country Playing: Licks, tunings and choosing the right position

·         Brandon Bailey Groove, Rhythm & Musicianship

11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. BREAK

11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MORNING LECTURE with Adam Gussow
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lunch, Free Time

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. AFTERNOON KEYNOTE LECTURE with Mitch Kashmar
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Afternoon Break Out Sessions with

·         Phil Wiggins Playing the blues acoustically in the piedmont style

·         Jimi Lee Basic jamming with your buddies while not getting lost and feeling dumb

·         Brandon Bailey Fluidity in Playing - Stringing note patterns together for increased speed

·         Todd Parrott Over Blows/Over Draws and drills to master them

4:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Free Time/ Open Jam Time + Cocktail Hour
4:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. WORKSHOPS

·         The Harmonica – How the heck does this thing work? With Wayne Snyder

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dinner, Free Time
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EVENING LECTURE:
8:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. BREAK
8:45 p.m to 9:45 p.m. CONCERT Dr. "Feel Good" Potts his Band
9:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. INTERMISSION
10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. CONCERT Mitch Kashmar
11:00 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. INTERMISSION
11:15 p.m. to….. OPEN JAM

THE SECOND DAY: SUNDAY, MAY 19TH @ Hill Country Harmonica
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m

BEGINNERS CLASS with Brandon Bailey Lip Pursing & Tongue Blocking

9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m Breakfast is Offered
9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m Announcements
10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m Morning Break Out Sessions

·         Phil Wiggins Bending, Tone and the 1-4-5

·         Mitch Kashmar Playing with a group - staying in the groove

·         Adam Gussow 12 Bar Blues - Implying the changes

·         Todd Parrot Country Playing: Licks, tunings and choosing the right position

·         PT Gazell: The Gazell method – Playing the valved diatonic

11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m BREAK
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MORNING WORKSHOPS:

·         Mics, Amps and Tone

·         Tabbing: Using technology for improved Performance

·         Repair and adjusting your harmonica

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lunch, Free Time
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. AFTERNOON KEYNOTE LECTURE with Phil Wiggins
3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. BREAK & Meet n' Greet with Phil Wiggins
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Afternoon Break Out Sessions

·         Adam Gussow: Taking stock and moving forward

·         Brandon Bailey: Looped Playing & the technology behind it

·         Jimi Lee: Essential Grooves and repertoire

·         Mitch Kashmar: the Masters: Breaking down some of the most famous licks and solo’s

4:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. JAMMIN' BY SKILL LEVEL
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dinner, Free Time
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EVENING Q & A & PRO JAM SESSION
8:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. BREAK
8:45 p.m to 9:45 p.m. CONCERT Phil Wiggins
9:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. INTERMISSION
10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. CONCERT Billy Branch the Sons of Blues
11:00 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. INTERMISSION
11:15 p.m. to….. OPEN JAM

Diatonic Harmonica Tunings - An Update

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:14:15 -0700
topic started by Barbeque Bob M
Here is an updated/corrected list of diatonic harmonica tunings that now includes the Hohner Marine Band Crossover and the Suzuki Manji:

7 Limit Just Intonation

BLOW 0 -14 2+ 0 -14 2+ 0 -14 2+ 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 4+ 2+ -12 4+ -29 6+ -12 4+ -29 6+

Used on all Hohner diatonics (except for the Golden Melody and Solo tuned harps, which are tuned to Equal Temperament) until 1985, Hering 1923 Vintage Harp, and the just tuned version of the Suzuki Fabulous.

19 Limit Just Intonation

BLOW 0 -14 2+ 0 -14 2+ 0 -14 2+ 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 4+ 2+ -12 4+ 3+ 6+ -12 4+ 3+ 6+

Used on Marine Bands/pre-1990 Old Standby's/Sp20's/Pro Harp/pre-MS series Blues Harps, wood combed version of the Hering Master Blues, and the Bends Juke.

Hohner Comprimise Tunings for the Marine Band/Special20/Marine Band Deluxe since 1992

BLOW 0 -12 1+ 0 -12 1+ 0 -12 1+ 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 2+ 1+ -11 2+ -12 3+ -11 2+ -12 3+

Hohner Comprimise Tunings for the MS series since 1992

BLOW 0 -10 1+ 0 -10 1+ 0 -10 1+ 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 2+ 1+ -9 2+ 3+ 3+ -9 2+ 3+ 3+

Includes since 1992, MS Blues Harp, MS Meisterklasse, Big River, Cross harp, Pro Harp, MS Marine Band (discontinued and only issued in Europe), Martin, Tiffany, MS Bob Dylan, MS Steven Tyler models.

Seydel Comprimise Tuning since 2007

BLOW 0 -14 2+ 0 -14 2+ 0 -14 2+ 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 4+ 2+ -12 4+ -2 6+ -12 4+ -2 6+

Suzuki Manji Tuning

BLOW 0 -5 0 0 -5 0 0 -5 0 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 0 0 -5 0 0 0 -5 0 0 0

Marine Band Crossover Tuning

BLOW 0 -5 1+ 0 -5 1+ 0 -5 1+ 0

HOLE# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRAW 1+ 4+ 0 1+ 2+ 1+ 0 1+ 2+ 1+

Please read an excerpt from a posting Steve Baker placed on Harp-L on this tuning:

0=443Hz w. minimal air pressure, all deviations are in cents, 1Hz =

approx. 4 cents on most tuners

Blow reed plate:

Root notes (1, 4, 7 & 10) tuned to 0

Thirds (2, 5 & 8) minus 5 cents

Fifths (3, 6 & 9) + 1 cent

Draw reed plate:

1-draw is very difficult to measure accurately. With absolutely

minimal air pressure maybe +8 cents, more in low keys. Like that it

will sound right with normal air pressure. It's essential that it

sounds good when played together with 2-draw and as an octave

interval with 4-draw.

2-draw + 4-6 cents depending on the key, at normal air pressure it

should sound at the same pitch as 3-blow

3- & 7-draw tuned to 0

4- & 8-draw 1 cent higher than 2-draw (i.e. + 5-7 cents)

5- & 9-draw + 2 cents (this will mean the 7th chord sounds rough, but

sounds better as a single note. You can even tune it a little higher

if you prefer that sound)

6- & 10-draw 1 cent higher than 4-draw (i.e. + 6-8 cents)

It's highly recommended to check that all perfect intervals (octaves,

fifths and fourths) sound without interference beats. This is what

piano tuners do too. You'll find it's damnably difficult to obtain

constant readings from your tuner and I can only recommend playing

very softly indeed and holding the note for a long time so you get a

fairly clear note value. I use a Korg MT-1200 tuner with a built-in

spread which tunes the upper octaves slightly sharper (as do piano

tuners) and use the smallest spread the machine offers. It's hard to

work to this degree of accuracy with a tuner which only shows Hz values.

Hope this will be of assistance,

Steve Baker

www.stevebaker.de

www.bluesculture.com

Apr 22, 2012 08:14 PDT
Mondo said,
Great info, Bob. Many thanks for his post!

Apr 19, 2012 10:14 PDT
Barbeque Bob M said,
For 19LJI, 5 & 9 draw is 1.5 cents sharp and NOT 3 cents sharp.
Jan 27, 2010 13:25 PST
Boris Plotnikov said,
Wow! I shocked about Levy. It seems that he uses very tiny gaps, still great dynamics. I'm not ready for lowering my gaps tighter and playing more softer (i'm soft player, you can listen to my playing at my profile if you're interested in). BTW I have tighter gaps at harps I use for practice and rehearsals than at harps I use at gigs.

My tuning is opposite to stretch! My tuning is seems to be "constricted". I try different octaves on different harps and just note that slightly flat octave sound better on harp than slightly sharp with any breath force. The reason of stretching for piano is matching slightly sharp 4th harmonic when playing 2 octave interval (very rare used on harmonica, I only hear it from Richard Hunter). The reason for harmonica as I mention before is that lower reeds have more tendency to goes slightly flat with harder breath, while higher reeds are more stable in pitch and my "constricted" tuning gives more freedom for attack while playing octave splits.

Jan 27, 2010 11:35 PST
Barbeque Bob M said,
Boris, several months ago, I had a 30 minute phone conversation with Brad Harrison about his new B-Radical harps and as you know, before he undertook this project, he was one of the best customizers around, especially for overblow players and somehow during the conversation, Howard's name came up and like Joe Filisko, he also did some work for Howard and when he told me Howard's stuff were all tuned to real A440, I had him repeat that because I know a fact that 98% of the players on this planet, including big named pros absolutely cannot play with the kind of breath force that's light enough to pull that off accurately at all, and trust me, that blew me away!!!!

What you mentioned about the tuning sounds actually closer to how pianos get tuned by using the stretch tuning method, and for those who don't know what that is, on pianos, every octave away from middle C is tuned 2 cents sharp, and then the next octave is another 2 cents sharper.

Jan 26, 2010 22:32 PST
Boris Plotnikov said,
Bob

Are you sure Howard tunes his harps to 440Hz? If it's true i'm shocked.

BTW There can be other reasons to tune 442 is some pianos are tuned to 442 and some orchestras. So If harp would be 440 or slightly lower it would be a dramaticaly flat. It's not a criminal for solo instrument to be a bit higher in pitch.

I also noted than lower reeds tends to change pitch with much volume more dramaticaly. So I tried to tune 1-st octave to 443, 2-nd octave to 442, 3-rd octave to 441 and I like it. All octave splits sound good with any breath force.

Jan 26, 2010 21:40 PST
BluEyes said,
sometimes BBQ Bob when I read your stuff i think im back in college.. I has a had time then to.

One day I hope to understand this stuff, I print them out and i have a folder, and when a friends of mine comes around and know a bit I say here what the heck does this mean. Once they are done trying to teach me and me saying yes I understand but not really.

abner (BluEyes )

Jan 26, 2010 09:44 PST
Barbeque Bob M said,
For most people, they do not play with a breath force soft enough to have a harp tuned to real A440 and play it that way as well (with the possible exception of one player, according to Brad Harrison, and that's Howard Levy), as in real playing breath for 98% of the players on the planet (and that includes many big name pros as well), an A440 tuned harp is often gonna wind up being played in A438 or worse, in the hands of harp player who plays far too hard all the time, A437, and that's gonna sound really flat against a band playing in A440.

Tuning to A442-A443 for the vast majority of harp players makes the most sense so that no matter how hard you play, you won't fall below A440 and this is where most companies have their standard pitch at.

0 cents on a tuner is, by default, equal temperament, based on the standard pitch you based it upon, meaning if you set the standard pitch on your tuner at A443, then 0 cents is basically that.

Jan 26, 2010 02:38 PST
Boris Plotnikov said,
I think that base tuning depends on your playing style. 442 is optimum for me. 443-444 is accepatable but a bit higher than I like.

Jan 25, 2010 15:44 PST
Boby said,
Thanx A LOT !

you probably saved hours, if not days of my time.

Just one question: does 0 = 443Hz on all charts?

Nov 15, 2009 02:11 PST
Tuggy B said,
Excellent info Bob, Thank you!
Nov 09, 2009 15:50 PST
HarpMan Freeman said,
Thank you for the extra effort you did to get this out to us.

I know it is helping me a lot.

Great Job!!

Thanks again
Nov 09, 2009 14:20 PST
Barbeque Bob M said,
On the Marine Band Crossover tuning, hole 1 draw should read 8+. It is important that you read Steve Baker's note on this tuning very carefully.

BLOW	0	-14	2+	0	-14	2+	0	-14	2+	0
HOLE#	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
DRAW	4+	2+	-12	4+	-29	6+	-12	4+	-29	6+