@scott4 I’d buy a full set of Joe Spiers harps, a full set Natural Minors, a full set Country tuned, and a full set Parrott Tuned, and all the lows and highs.
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Andy
I agree in a complete sense of the word. I dip my harp in alcohol for a quick cleaning and wood won’t work for this. I got my first harp and the wood comb was causing an air leak. I looked at it with a 10x loop and saw some heavy saw marks on it. The inside of the comb had no sealant and moisture and wood do not make friends, only problems.
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I’ve heard they double varnish them now but unless the varnish completely covers the comb it’s completely pointless, they will swell eventually and rip your mouth apart when playing. I do like the Idea of Hohner using bamboo instead of pearwood as Bamboo is a tough a steel and doesn’t swell but still has that wood quality. But I like the sound the plastic/resin combs give out, I’d probably just end up taking the reed plates out and putting them on a plastic combs. I do fancy the Idea of trying a metal comb ( particularly a brass one) just to see how it sounds
OKay! I’ve just won the pools - and I’d like to share with you what I’ve actually done!
Over here we have Premium Bonds - you buy as many ‘bonds’ at £1 each as you want - to participate - and every month you are put in the draw for £1,000,000 ($1,242,300!)
So two of my bonds won! Wowee!
I maybe should make it clear that not only is there £1,000000 drawn for the lucky winner - but other amounts are drawn too.
So my two 'other amounts! were drawn - one for £100 and the other £50.
So I’m now actually putting into practice Scott’s original question! (Apologies if you thought I’d won the £1,000,000! - Sadly not!)
(Premium Bonds btw are issued by HM’s government - and you can always cash them in for the original £1. - they are an institution - and are given to children and purchased by adults all through life - for birthdays and other events. You can only hold a maximum of £50,000 (that’s $62,000 if you must!). So you just (just!) have to take the ‘inflation’ hit - which you can imagine is quite substantial over the decades that the bonds are held.
So . To answer Scotts original question - what did I do?
Because I own a D/G Melodeon and play Irish tunes - I purchased Two Chromatic Forerunner 2.0 EastTops. One in D, the other in G? (For £43.10 each! Ok, OK … that’s $57.666 each x 2!)
Having two keys for most Irish tunes in Peter Cooper’s (encyclopedic collection of tunes) book and having a ‘C’ Hering chromatic - I aim to be able to play all the tunes on my ‘Grapple’ of harmonicas. I have decided on the different keys because I’ll more readily be able to learn - whilst building muscle memory - because the Tonic Solfa will be the same ‘fingering’ (OK ‘mouthering’) on all three.
Whilst I could play them all on the C Chromatic - and play all the different keys on the C - I think it will be faster progress with the different keys matching the different tunes.
I’d be interested in your observations here!
And so …OK what is the collective noun for a group of harmonicas? They look very happy in my burn-the-house down new heat pad! Happily ‘nestled’ ready for being played! So what about a ‘nestle’ of harmonicas? I initially chose ‘grapple’ because I can imagine my frantic grappling of the different harmonica keys in a session! I think a ‘harmony’ is too obvious - so don’t!
BTW I’m making amazing progress with the ‘Irish Tunes’ project! Even when you might think of having to remember it’s a blow on the D and a suck on the G - my brain seems to work it out very quickly! (Apologies for getting so technical there.)
Anyway thanks - if you have - read this far!
Charlie
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Good question.
A flock of sheep, a murder of crows, a gaggle of geese…but a…
My vote goes for “a toot of harmonicas”
Piglet! You’ve won already! ‘toot’ is so reminiscent of my sound’ - that’s why I need the (frantic!) practice!
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We all need practice my friend. I’m often doing ever so well until a massive “HONK” escapes the instrument.
I did get myself one of the old model forerunner chromatics when the released the 2,0 version and the old one was dead cheap. I confess i don’t play it much because I’m trying to get my 10 hole playing to be slightly pleasent first, but it works and sounds nice.
I remember my grandad would do a pools coupon for the football and had the occasional winner. Never had premium bonds but given what the bank gives you on savings these days I might get some TBH.
LO fits the ‘Cheap feeling but incredibly durable’ catagory. Great harps for newbies - Hard to kill 'em!
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