Playing my fathers harmonica

I have a chromatic harmonica, that must be at least more than 80years old.
My father played it beautifully, I hope I can learn from Luke enough knowledge to play it again.
I wonder how many of you have harmonica’s from years ago.
My name is Jan and I hail from Western Australia.
Hello to all and may we all make beautiful music together.

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Hey Jan from Western Australia! Welcome to the forum. Thank you so much for sharing and I agree, may we all make beautiful music together!

What a rich legacy to have your father’s chromatic idea.

Hey, I just wanted to point out that I mostly play (and exclusively teach) the 10 hole diatonic harmonica. I think it’s an easier instrument to learn at the beginning. Still a great way to honor your father’s legacy. If you wanna look into purchasing a diatonic here is my article on choosing brands.

Aloha Jan!
-Luke

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Hi Luke, Thanks for answering my post. I have a diatonic for your lessons but hope to graduate to my Dad’s Chromatic later on.
I am having fun playing along but I forget to breath when the music starts .LOL
I feel I was guided to you as I love music so much, I use to play the organ.
Thanks for being my teacher. your lovely smile and your happy disposition shines through.
Kindest regards
Jan

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Oh Hi Jan! I didn’t realize this is you from Beginner to Boss, lol. I’m so glad that you are enjoying the lessons, and yes that sounds like a great goal. So smart to tackle diatonic first, and then move onto chromatic once the fundamentals are in place.
Aloha,
Luke

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Hi Jan. WOW!!! . Just came across your post. I have a THE “CHROMONICA” 10 Hole M.Hohner in the key of C. It was my father’s, but I don’t recall ever hearing him play it. My Father passed in 1990 at the age of 80. I have the original cardboard box that it came in, but someone, probably me, put scotch tape on it where the paper ‘hinge’ was failing. I can’t find a model number on it, but there is a price tag on the bottom of the box.
First line $3.25, 2nd line 51/80, 3rd line 132. No idea where it was purchased, but my dad worked for the Denver Dry Goods Company (In Colorado) from 1923 until 1978 or 1979. He is/was the only employee that was ever employed for over 50 years. the Latest Policy requires an applicant to be a minimum of 18 years and have a mandatory retirement age of 65. He was the finest man I have ever met. Hard to believe that a quality chromatic could have been purchased for under $5.00. I assume he probably bought the harp sometime in the 1920’s or '30s. All 40 reeds play, though several are pretty ‘fuzzy’.

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Hello @Poppo,
Wow, I’m really impressed by your old and apparently still new C harp from your father.
At the price you can see what inflation means.
Many greetings from Astrid

Not exactly “still new”. I have had some problems getting some of the reeds to sound. I have been warming it up to body temp and gently blowing and drawing. I have now gotten a response from every reed but some are difficult to get a ‘clean’ tone on.
I don’t know when or where my Father acquired this harp, but it is definitely a 10 hole chromatic, but is tuned to the “C” richter diatonic scale (with 2 draw and 3 blow both a “G”…Pushing the slide in absolutely raises each tone a half tone. It might be very interesting playing a better harp tuned like this one is…Especially for someone like me who likes a lot of songs that are full of accidental sharps and flats, like some of Cole Porter’s songs and is as bad as I am at ‘bending’. Or needing a (hole 10 slide in) C# in Marty Robbins “El Paso”. And Yes, the US solidified inflation when we created the Federal Reserve…

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Hi @Poppo,

Reading about your old harp, I realized that I also have one of these! I bought it new some time in the late 1980s or beginning of the 1990s.

I almost never use it because I prefer the more expressive sound that can be obtained using draws on standard blues harps. Also (see below) compared to a standard blues harp, it seems to require frequent disassembly and cleaning – and that is a lot more work than it is on a standard blues harp!! :roll_eyes:

This model is no longer produced. The valves used in it are (as they are in true chromatic harps) always a problem: sticking, making unwanted extra noise, etc.

Greetings,
– Slim :sunglasses:

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Thanks for your comments, Slim. I was afraid that everyone would think "that newbie, doesn’t know the difference between a Diatonic and Chromatic. Mine must be far older than yours. My opinion is that my dad bought this before us kids came along. My best guess would be prior to or during the depression when he was single and supporting his mother and sister.

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Hi @Poppo,

I just pulled out my Slide Harp (the name Hohner gave to this variant of the diatonic Richter harp). Actually, now that I have improved my playing and understanding of diatonic harmonicas, this instrument is really interesting. Not using the slide at all it is basically a C diatonic Richter harmonica, with all of the same bending possibilities and identical note layout.

Press the slide in and you have the same thing, only a half step higher in pitch: a Db (or C#) diatonic Richter harmonica. It is a sort of “chromatic” harmonica, but with a diatonic Richter note layout. Apparently it did not catch among the buyers, otherwise Hohner would not have stopped producing them.

As a side note: if you do not know, true chromatic harmonicas have a note layout that is different than on our blues harps (one example being that 2 draw and 3 blow are not the same note – and the note layout repeats regularly from the low end to the high end, not changing as it does with the blues harp).

Mine has some sticking on the holes 9 & 10 (it’s the valves that stick), so I guess I will need to take it apart again, clean and lubricate things and start “farting around” again with this unique instrument! :grin:

Greetings from Germany,
– Slim

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Hallo @Slim, du bist also jetzt auch ein Nerd :nerd_face:…, wie @Luke neulich chromatische Harp Spieler nannte? :smiley: Sorry bitte, aber ich habe auch eine. Anders, aber nicht uninteressant! Ich mag sie mit ihrer Optik, so kühl vom Material und ihrem Gewicht von gut 190 g. Hohner Chromonica 270/48 C- Deluxe
Schönes Wochenende! Viele Grüße von Astrid

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Yes, I am aware that the chromatic hole pattern is different than the Diatonic. I recently ordered a Hohner 270G. I didn’t order a C because I prefer the lower tones. I debated about ordering a Tenor C, but thought that might be too radical. I was a pretty fair musician in my time, and many of my favorite tunes are unplayable or difficult to play on a Diatonic, particularly when I have trouble with the bends. My harmonica playing is about 95% for my own pleasure with no one else listening. I kind of wish that dad’s harmonica was in better shape because I have become fairly proficient in converting the tones in my head into the proper hole and blow or draw configuration on the Diatonic. I also wish I had my older sisters “absolute pitch”. She could listen to about 8 bars on a record and then write out the music as written from one pass. She could ‘tabulate’ an entire song in a half hour or so. It takes me HOURS to tabulate even a simple melody that I am familiar with.

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Slim: Using your nomenclature, I found this on the web…

This is definitely not the same model as my dad’s. I will try to take some pictures of it and my Bushman “Delta Frost” and post them.
Poppo

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Slim and Astrid (and, of Course Luke):
I just posted pictures, such as they are, of my Hohner Diatonic Slide and my Bushman Delta Frost (G)…Other harps I have are Fender Blues Deluxe (C), Hohner Hot Metal (C), both very cheap learning harps, a Hohner Sousa Band C (quality unknown), then I have a Hohner Special 20 (G), and a Lee Oskar 1910 (LC). I have ordered a Hohner 270G Chromatic (birthday present to myself) which I expect next week. Maybe someday I will attempt to make a recording of “Amazing Grace” or Precious Lord on the Oskar Low C. I am not exactly concert ready!!!

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Hallo Astrid @AstridHandbikebee63 und @Poppo,

Ja! Ich habe auch genau eine Chromonica 270/48 C - Deluxe :grin: Sie ist wirklich kühl – nur, wie gesagt, die Ventile machen für mich zu viel Probleme (Geräusche & klemmen). Trotzdem eine schöne Harmonika :innocent:

Wir Nerds müssen zusammenhalten! :partying_face:

Translation for @Poppo:

Yes! I also have exactly that Chromonica 270/48 C - Deluxe :grin: It is really cool – only, as I said, the valves are too problematic for me (noisy & sticking). Nevertheless a beautiful harmonica :innocent:

We nerds must stick together! :partying_face:

Bye, fellow nerds,
– Slim :partying_face:

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Hi @Poppo,

Thank you for the find !! So it looks like the Slide Harp is still for sale! Cool.

I thought also that the old harp of your father was most likely different. I will be checking out the pictures you post.

Thanks again,
– Slim

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Guten Morgen @Slim, danke, dass du für mich den Dolmetscher machst. Es hilft sehr!
Prima, dass du die gleiche chromatische Harp hast. Ich habe lange gesucht, bis ich mich für diese entschieden habe. Ja, mit den Ventilen scheint sie etwas schwierig zu sein.
Anschein habe irgendwie alle chromatischen irgend etwas.
Wenn ich sie spiele, puste ich sie zu Beginn richtig durch… :joy: Dann hört man, wie sich die Ventile lösen, falls sie fest sind. Dafür lässt sie sich aber sonst mit wenig Luft spielen.
Da ich rechts eine sog. Fallhand habe, ist bei dieser halt eine Umstellung auf links möglich. Haben auch nicht alle.
Ich finde, beide Typen haben ihre Vorteile.
Was nimmst du für den Hebel zum Ölen? Machst du das von Außen drauf und bewegst ihn dann und lässt es schräg rein laufen?
Du bist so mega gut hier für uns, da du soviel Wissen hast. :+1::+1::+1:
Viele Grüße von :nerd_face: Astrid :joy:

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Hallo Astrid @AstridHandbikebee63,

Vielen Dank für die schönen Worten – wenn ich nur so gut spielen könnte, wie ich Ratschläge geben kann … :roll_eyes: :laughing:

Aber für den Schieber: kein Öl !! Habe ich nie probiert, aber ich meine, dass ich schon eine Warnung gelesen habe. Was ich bei einem Video von Hohner gelernt habe, ist eine sehr dünne Schicht von Vaseline auf die (schon auseinander gebaute) Schieber (und entsprechende andere die Teile) zu schmieren. Ich bin zufrieden mit dieser Methode und kann sie empfehlen. :point_left:

Das tut mir sehr Leid von Deinem Fallhand erfahren zu haben. :anguished: Ich weiß ganz genau um was es handelt (ich habe für ca 10 Jahre Anatomie, Physiologie und Neuroanatomie in einer Schule für Physiotherapie unterrichtet).

Viele liebe Grüße
– Slim

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Hallo @Slim,
so einfach mit Vaseline, super. Damit weiß ich, was ich ggf. machen muss. Mit dem Öl, das hatte ich auch gelesen, aber misstrauisch, da es sich überall in der Harp verteilt.
Du kennst doch bestimmt das “Steigerlied”? Da ich aus dem Ruhrpott komme, ist es ein Muss und nicht schwierig zu spielen. Das klingt wie ich finde, gerade mit einer chromatischen richtig gut.
Da du aus der Branche kommst, schreibe ich es dir. Habe ja seit 1983 einen kompletten TH12 und dadurch viele Spätfolgen. Vor ca. 15 Jahren Radialis noch hervorragend operiert, aber seit etwa 4 Jahren diese Fallhand. Weitere OP und Ergo bringt nichts.
Ich komme aber gut damit klar, mache trotzdem rechtsseitig weiter oder beidseitig. Nur Gitarre macht halt keinen Sinn mehr, hatte ich mir auch selbst beigebracht.
Du weißt ja, einfach kann jeder, so langweilig…
Weißt du, warum andere besser spielen als wir? Weil wir dafür mehr über die Theorie und das Innenleben wissen. Dafür auch viel Zeit investieren, wo andere halt üben. Kleiner Scherz :joy:

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Hallo @Slim,
falls du eine Fender Blues Deluxe Harp C brauchst, gibt’s bei “unserem” wohl kurzzeitig für 11,50 €. Gerade durch Zufall gesehen.
Das ganze 7er Set mit Tasche für 69 €.

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