Gussow wouldn’t agree with him either to be fair. He sounds like a know- it - all, it’s the minute your realize when compared to a lot of really cool players out there ( and I don’t even mean famous one’s we’ve got some outstanding players on here) when you realize that you know bugger all compared to those players is when you shut yer gob and begin to really learn something. Unfortunately shutting the gob and engaging the brain can prove quite difficult for some. As @Hogie.Harmonica said these instruments are not played correctly the Richter tuning is German ( and has nothing to do with the deep south or any where else for that matter Except Germany) on that instrument you may speak an entirely different language to someone else so we express ourselves differently. The harp is just the tool that allows us to do that. Ignore these idiots your playing does the talking, and you have a fair amount of knowledge too. Don’t waste practice time talking to them you just do you.
There’s an interesting smattering of philosophies in the music world.
The “science proves why its good” angle…let’s just say there is a VERY robust, constant, and sometimes hostile debate in the music theory world about this. And it is a very old debate.
The oldest reference I know is Bela Bartok (yes, the famous classical music composer). He said “If you grew up listening to dissonant music, it wouldn’t be tense, it would feel beautiful.”
Similarly, the “modernist” era, of which Eric Satie was an early voice, he very famously used dissonant chords as if they were harmonious…and they are! The Gymnopedie pieces were made this way.
These all get at the fact that musical values are fundamentally cultural artifacts.
In contrast, the “science proves European music is more harmonious and therefore better” crowd continues to (somehow) get attention and gain traction, particularly outside the university environment. But there are holdouts within the university environment as well.
All of that backhistory to say - ET harps definitely have beats when playing chords. The crowd that finds that unpleasant likely won’t be won over. But there are plenty of people who like it just fine.
It is worth trying a JI harp though 
The Marine Band I have is the closest to JI tuning and I don’t like the tuning on it. The chord are very harsh and the single notes are out-of-tune. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up listening to Terry McMillan on country radio as a kid, but I’m just not a fan of JI.
Speaking of the Marine Band, I didn’t buy it at first because I realized a lot of its players are just straight up elitists surrounding the harmonica. One guy, named George Royster, used to troll me all the time on Facebook and Youtube for liking Golden Melodies for blues, but he’d always start this arguement of “blues tuning” and how he’d always play vintage Marine Bands for blues and say that Golden Melodies and Lee Oskars are for melodies only. However, I never heard him post anything. In fact, I told him if he could play something for me and he said that he can’t.
I’ve realized that most of my detractors either have never posted a video of themselves playing or if they do, they’re not that good, but have a superiority complex. Both of these types of players like to bully me for being a “lesser” harmonica player for what I like or misuse science as a way to prove their arguement, which sounds like they pulled something random from the internet that has nothing to do with the harmonica.
Those that can’t talk. Those that can play.
If scientists had the time to prove that the MB was better than the GM that just means the scientists had too much time on their hands.
Besides Science changes over time for example I remember Scientists saying in the 70’s that Eggs were bad for you due to the amount of fat in them. Science moved on and they discovered there were good and bad fats now they encourage you to eat one egg a day. So whoever that guy is his argument doesn’t stand up.
He’s the head admin of Modern Blues Harmonica as well and has been trying to silence me for years. I’ve never seen him play or post anything that wasn’t a comment, but he acts like he’s the king of the harmonica because he hangs out with Adam Gussow. When I got banned from MBH, he blamed it on me and used my disability as a scapegoat for how toxic he actually was.
The reason why I got banned was that I mentioned that I wanted to sound like Terry McMillan and I was manipulated into not talking about him. The truth is that MBH’s head admin is very manipulative and untrustworthy. Keep in mind that when I got banned, I was 22 and had no friends in the harmonica world.
Well you have now, you can count me as a friend
Me as well.
+1 here too 
Count me as one!
Thank you all again. I also became friends with multiple actually gigging diatonic harmonica players because I’m so passionate about the harmonica, including Todd. Recently my Facebook Group, Harmonica Unity, reached 1,000 members and it comes to show that there’s more harmonica players who care about me than the jerks who always try to put me down.
I’m going to search for your group now
I’m not on social media for that very reason, I just can’t stand the idiots on there. There’s also some very creepy people on there too, my Daughter in Law receives some vile private messages off so called men. Because she takes after her mum in the looks department. I’m just glad my wife isn’t on there.
Yes @DavidW and I’m even more negative on the new golden melodies than I was at the time I shot that video.
I personally LOVE the 19 Limit Just Intonation tuning and it’s part of why I prefer the Marine Band Deluxe over the Crossover which is like a compromise between MBD and GM.
I’m using more and more splits, double-stops, and chords in my playing because it makes the harmonica sound huge and fat - and because, unlike any other wind instrument - WE CAN!!
Especially when we’re playing home alone, using lots of chords is very sweet and comforting, so that’s why I’m favoring the 19 Limit Just Intonation (which is exactly the same as 7 Limit Just Intonation except the -5 -9 are slightly flat compared.)
@Hogie.Harmonica FYI I just confirmed with Joe Filisko that the only tuning he plays is 19 Limit Just Intonation.
It’s the sweetest sounding tuning when playing in the 1st and 2nd position styles that use lots of chords, double stops, and splits.
If you’re playing lots of 3rd position and beyond stuff, and/or mostly all single notes, then Equal Temperament tuning makes more sense.
I’m mostly 2nd position and 1st position, and I’ll play a Natural Minor or 2nd position Parrott Tuned harp on minor stuff. Generally speaking.
The thing is I’m not doing either of those, I’m just playing how I usually play, 2nd position in the Terry McMillan style, which he uses singles notes, double stops, and chords. Does this make me in the wrong? Hell no. You said in the past that “if you want to play like the old blues guys, then you should get a Marine Band.” The Marine Band is not for me, but I can see why people like it compared to all the Marine Band players who hate on the Golden Melody for no reason at all. I don’t want to emulate the sounds of the 50s and 60s, I just wanna be me.
I love blues it’s my favorite music and I do love the sound of The Marine band. What I don’t like is the first model they made which you can’t take apart that has a horrible wooden combs that swells and is held together by what looks like tacks. The entire design of that harp is flawed. And it was only played by Little Walter etc because it was pretty much all that was available. A lot of those players where innovators using new ideas and techniques technology etc. It only stands to reason if they were around today they would test whatever new innovations are available.
Really? Its so rich I figured he was playing 7 limit. Today I learned. Thanks!