50 - 60 years hence, we are still listening to it. Even in Elevators!!!
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I had an art teacher who defined art as such: Learning your limitations and using them to your best advantage. Your mileage may vary.
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Thank you for this! I’m with it 
. We’re all different and that’s what gives us all unique voices. It’s all good to study the masters. I do it all the time. BUT we also need to play to our strengths and embrace diversity!
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Diversity in the form of opportunity yes but the outcome of effort is what gets a person up the latter but no one is guaranteed the outcome. I am proof as I practice two hours a day and after 30 months I will know I will never be as good as I would like but its not for lack of effort, I love for the harp or persistence. Its the latter I that is my advantage. For some reason nothing I really liked ever came easy, Only never giving up got me across the goal line. My wife polishes her diamond on my head to get any scratches out. Don’t care as I can sit and play all day and enjoy every minute of it. The harp was a true gift as father time took many favored hobbies away and at 68 I desperately needed something to work on and enjoy it. Hooked for life.
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I had two friends in high school in San Francisco who played harmonica, one of them played in my first band, I really liked the sound and feel they got. So, I started playing and really got into blues as a young music journalist who also played. My friends had much better chops and tone. Sixty years later, they still do – John Peterson and Rick Estrin.
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From my basic experience thus far, I’ve tried the following harmonica: the Hohner golden Melody, progressive, the Hohner , Marine band crossover, the Hohner blues special, and the the Honer special 20. I really love the sound of the golden melody. I also like the way it feels when I hold it and play it as well as the way it looks: retro. For me it’ has a great sound and it travels easy. The only thing I don’t like is, I wish it had a better case to it than a cardboard box as it tends to get beat up in my pilot bag.
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I found a neat pouch that was intended for carrying a pocket knife on a belt that also just happened to fit a diatonic harmonica. A quick search on your local Amazon is likely to find a host of maybes that you can check the dimensions of?
I hope that helps.
If you got that much enjoyment out of the harp its time well spent.
If you know someone with a laser it would be simple enough to make a box with it with a foam insert to keep your harmonica safe. I was thinking of making one for myself.
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You know. I bet someone w a 3d printer could make a nice two piece box.
@gw5 I bought a Hohner single harmonica zip up case. I’m assuming they’re still available. It’s like the old rocket zip up case, just ‘Hohner’ in red printed on one side. Slightly smaller than the rocket case but the GM fits in, snug as a bug in a rug. It won’t rattle at all.
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I will look for that!
I’ve got these to store my harps good little system.
The original version of the Golden Melody came with a red plastic box, but the back on those older cases can easily break. I own multiple Golden Melodies (all in different keys), so I just use a full harmonica case to carry them in. The one I use is a Hohner Flexcase Large, which fits my needs as a gigging harmonica player myself. I’m currently decorating my case to make it look nice for shows. Here’s what my case looks like:
I also have another sticker on the way (specifically a Sonic the Hedgehog sticker) to decorate my case with. For the inside of the case, it carries 14 diatonics and one chromatic. Most of the harps I play are Golden Melodies with only a few exceptions (a Bb Suzuki Bluesmaster, an F# Hohner Special 20, and a High G Lee Oskar). The chromatic I use is the 12-hole version of the Kongsheng Lyra.
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I had many reasons to pick up the harmonica. I used to be a person who’d give up if I didn’t get things quickly. I used to be a person who’d give up when frustrated. I’ve changed and grown so I wanted to challenge myself to prove to myself that I’m a different person. I want to be proud of myself for an accomplishment that really took effort. Learning a musical instrument is good for the brain. I’m only 49 but figure it is never too early to develop habits that help ward off dementia. I eat too much and wanted something to do that would keep my mouth busy. So, I decided to learn an instrument. I have always enjoyed hearing the harmonica and been awed by the capacity of such a small instrument to make so many sounds. I love the affordability and portability of the harmonica. I started watching Luke’s videos and thinking maybe I could actually do it. The idea that I could make music that is enjoyable to listen to is incredibly cool.
And I am certainly finding myself challenged. The -3 is my kryptonite. The frustration is real. But I haven’t given up! I am struggling with this basic skill, but I can still see all the progress I have made. Lean on Me is recognizable when I play it. I can isolate the other single notes with some (not 100%) consistency. So I keep at it every day and hope I’ll eventually get it.
Reading about the success in learning that is talked about in the forums is inspiring. Unless I’m actively frustrated, then I think none of you struggled with the basic skill of -3, at least not for as long as I have, and you are all just inherently more talented than me so I should just give up.
And now you probably know more about me than you ever wanted to.
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If it helps (and it helped me): some well-known professional harp players say that they ALWAYS practice the various -3 bends !! So don’t give up – you are in good company ! 
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I think none of you struggled with the basic skill of -3,
Yes, I’m sorry to confirm that you are the only one. The rest of us mastered every aspect of the instrument within 2 or 3 months from first picking it up. The only problem I have, is fending off the hordes of adoring female fans continually rapping at my door.
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