What a nice find, Jim. It's fun to be reacquainted with things you've enjoyed in the past but forgot about. Have fun with harps. I'm not familiar with Sonny Boy Williamson but I'm going to look him up.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I used to have some cassettes of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee that I just loved listening to.  

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

In high school, my brother Bob and I shared a room in my parent's basement. We had this picture on the wall for a few years.  It's a photo of one of our musical heroes, Sonny Boy Williamson II whose real name was Rice Miller.

I just found an old cigar box with some slides, capos picks and some harps that I haven't used in ages, but since the reeds all work, I may just give 'em another go.

12-hole harp from Grandpa Charlie

14 hole C harp

10 hole Echo Super Vamper


About 45 years ago, Charlie, my ex-father-in-law gave me one of his 12-hole diatonics.  It's a Marine Band Special in C.  It's very similar to my 10 hole diatonics, except that it has a full lower octave.
When I was in high school, I was a fan of Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), who played low pitched harps, so I bought a 14 hole Marine Band in C.  Amazingly, it still works.
I was hitch-hiking in Scotland in the late sixties when my "A" Marine Band crapped out. I went to a music store and asked for a Marine Band in A.  The clerk had no idea what a Marine Band was, so I showed him one of mine.  He said, "Oh, you mean an Echo Super Vamper ."  He showed me an Echo Super Vamper and, except for the top cover plate, it was a Marine Band .  It still works just fine.

 

I had a similar moment of realization about how to play blues on the harmonica.  I just couldn't figure it out and thought those great blues harmonica players were just really good at bending notes. But one day in college I was playing some blues on the guitar with some people and someone joined, playing blues harmonica really badly .  She was not good, but she was doing it, and on a break I asked to see her harmonica.  Indeed, @jim-yates, as you say, it was an A harp and we were playing in E. Aha!   Cross harp, what a concept! To play straight on the harmonica, your tonic is the 4th hole, but to get those blue notes, your tonic is the 3 hole.  I still can't play like Sonny Terry, but I can manage some amateur blues and have fun.

--
Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator

As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie

In 1960, my brother and I had one guitar between us and it was frustrating.  We wanted to play together, but we couldn't afford another guitar.  Since this was the time that The Great Folk Scare was in full swing, we had a couple of Sonny & Brownie LPs  and Hohner Marine Bands were about $2.00, so we each bought a harp and tried to sound like Sonny, with little success, until we read an article in Sing Out! magazine where Tony Glover explained cross harp, palying in the key of E with an A harp.  Suddenly it all came together.

Here are the harps that I play regularly.  The little box fits in my guitar case.

My chromatics are all key of C. My tenor Hohner CX-12s are my favorite.
I agree about Hohner. I think Suzuki is the most innovative of the big three manufacturers.
I have never had any luck with Seydel chromatics.
I have two 16 hole chromatics. My favorite is the Hohner Super 64X. A piano has 88 keys and you have 64 notes in your hand. Amazing!
I also have a Swan 16 hole chromatic which is fine and only costs about $100.
Grab any instrument. Harmonica or dulcimer: make music and have fun.

Don, I often desire a chromatic. Problem is mine have broken reeds. I have sent them to Hohner for repair which gets a bit expensive. I always think of "someday" learning to repair reeds myself, but someday never seems to come. 

This is a great time to get into harmonica since new companies are offering instruments with different tuning options, even custom tuning to order. Sometimes I think Hohner is stuck in the past and is reluctant to innovate... Robert

I have a number of harmonicas. Learning to play the diatonic well is difficult. Google Buddy Greene at Carnegie Hall.
I have primarily play my chromatics. When I need the sharp or flat I push a button. And I like to play Broadway music as well as folk music and jazz.

Hey @kjb , you should talk with fotmd member @terry-wilson .... he is a big fan of playing harmonica for fun!  He plays all kinds of music on his harps, I think just about every day. 

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

As a teenager I started playing blues on guitar and harmonica.  I rarely play either now, but still love to play harmonica with other blues musicians.  

I've always wanted to learn to play harmonica, Bob, and your sharing may just be the kick I need...  Thank you so very much!

Now THAT's a jam!  Thanks for sharing this!   My harmonica is 73 years old and still sounds good.  It's a chromatic---I know, some of you will probably think I should just get a guitar....I've heard that before!

--
Jan Potts, Lexington, KY
Site Moderator

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke
updated by @jan-potts: 10/12/16 04:40:02AM

i agree with this ! i have one myself and love it.

Leslie, Do you have any Scotch tape? preferably the gift wrap type. After reading about your mom I applied scotch tape to a nickel harmonica cover and the tape in no way hindered my ability to play the instrument. My lips never touched the metal and the tape is invisible. I think its a workable idea. Yes there are chrome harmonicas as an option but if you still have any nickel harmonicas I would go with the tape... Bob.

Bob I love this little story. I wish you could take a photo of your old box full of harmonicas and show it to us!

I have a couple of my harmonicas from 20 years ago, but sadly I think i lost my original two harmonicas I had as a teenagers, which would have been over 40 yrs old now. I always liked fooling around with harmonicas, but never got very good at it.

But I agree, it's always good to keep a little harmonica in your pocket- like carrying around a microscopic church organ!

I keep a set of rhythm bones and a limberjack in my instrument case when I go to music gatherings- like a harmonica they are very portable, and sometimes it's just the thing!

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

Back in the late 1960's I got my first introduction to playing music as a blues harmonica player. For myself it was an easy style of music to master but as I became better at playing guitar I put the harmonicas away in a shoebox never to be played again. In the last year I have spent much of my time learning old time Irish and British tunes on the whistle and this was a good time to pullout my old harmonica box and try what I learned on the tin whistle on harmonica. I was surprised by how many harmonicas I had and in so many keys. Its like opening up a time capsule. Everyone should own at least one harmonica. They fit in the smallest pocket and you can make music everywhere... Bob.
updated by @robert-schuler: 02/25/19 11:59:57PM