[Harp-L] Subject: Re: Charlie McCoy's brand (was Link to Steven Tyler harmonica article)

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

"Message: 14
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:33:52 -0400
From: Joe and Cass  Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Charlie McCoy's brand (was  Link to Steven Tyler
harmonica article)
To:  Captron100@xxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:  <1C81A6BD-46ED-441E-B366-50763CDDF598@xxxxxxxx>
Content-Type:  text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed


On Jul 12,  2007, at 10:53 AM, Captron100@xxxxxxx wrote:

>
> In a message  dated 7/12/2007 3:16:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>  harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> Some harps have dumb names  anyway.  Golden Melody is cute, Marine  
> Band is
>  nostalgic, but I will wait for the  name special-20 to change to   
> the Charley
> McCoy.
>
>
>   In an  interview i read many years ago, Charlie said he used   
>  Marine Bands
> and Hohner Old Standbys, which was a less expensive version  of  an MB.

I don't think it was the price as much as the  'whippiness' of the  
reeds. I would stick my neck out and guess that  Charlie (like the  
rest of us) has tried them all. I mean, after all,  it was his  
livlihood. I remember that I bought my first diatonic and  though I  
had a choice, I chose the Marine Band.

The way I saw  it was that since my grandfather taught me 'Jozine, you  
getta whatta  you pay afor, and evena then, you don't".  There was the  
Old  Standby ($1.90), the Great Little Harp ($1.50), the Pocket Pal   
($1.20), the American Ace ($1.40). But the Marine Band was $4.40 and   
Blues Harp was $4.80.  I had a paper route and it was worth  skipping  
a few popsicles or ice cream drumsticks or creamsicles to get  the  
'Better' harp. I started with the blues harp. What a fiasco.  Too  
stiff. I wasn't bending back then, but then again, I never DID  using  
that stiff reeded bugger.

When I tried the Old  Standby...voila. So, that's what I played for a  
while. Then the Marine  Band, then when spl-20s came out. that's all  
the farther I had to go.  Back then, there was some lead in the  
amalgum and the reeds seemed  softer.
But what a bunch of stupid names for harps.
1... Old  Standby?  standby for what? what are we standing BY for?
 
...umm...I do think it might mean that the harp is "standing by" ergo  
"waiting to be played"...in that context it makes more sense.. (except for the  
"old")
 

2... Great Little Harp? we already know that it's a harp, we  already  
know that it's little. As for great?..ok.
3... American  Ace? Yeah, like we know so many of THOSE.
4... Pocket Pal?  now THIS one  makes perfect sense. It was always my  
pal. It was always in my pocket.  Till it got run over by a streetcar. :(

>   I used to have  one, and iirc, it's covers were different and  
> made  of a  lighter gauge
> material.  Other than that, I think they were  the  same.
>   Interestingly, in that interview, when asked  how he decides  
> which  harp to
> buy, he said something  like before the purchase he plays every  
> harp  in the
>  store.
 
...Frankly, if "I" was in the store waiting to buy one and saw someone else  
(No matter how famous) playing "every harp in the store" , I'd turn around and 
 leave.

"Back when Farrell was still around, I watched a (relatively)  well  
known player try every single C chromo (about a dozen). Then he  put  
them in 3 groups. Then he tried the 4 from the last group one  more  
time and cut that down to 2. Then he bought 1. What a Putz. You  could  
DO that back then. You couldn't do it at a music store." 
 
....About TIME someone talked about this. So for all you "purists" who  think 
if you buy one "brand new" from a music store, or online, and not off  
EBay...that you're getting one unplayed by someone else's mouth and absolutely  
pristine, think again.  As far as I'M concerned, I clean every  harmonica I buy 
with alcohol before I play it, just in case. 
 
 
"They made you  
use the bellows. That piece of junk is worthless" 
 
.....totally agree with this, because the last "bellows tested" harmonica I  
bought sounded fine until I got it up to my room to play and it had a couple  
of bad reeds not heard by the weak "breathing" of the bellows
 
"BECAUSE: contrary to  
popular belief, you do NOT breathe through  a harp. You DO blow &  
suck. Breathing doesn't take take into  consideration pressure (at  
14.7 psi or BAR)".
 
.....Again, FINALLY...was waiting for someone to verify my own thoughts on  
this.  While it sounds so "Zen" to say "breathe" and "inhale and  
"exhale"...you'd better be inhaling and exhaling with SOME kind of pressure, if  you want 
to produce any sound at all, especially un-amplified.  Joe Filisko  gave me 
some amazingly good tips on working to control my breathing (because of  my 
immense stage fright)...at last year's SPAH...and Joe is  indisputably the Zen 
master of breathing.  I was able to actually play  on stage after his talk...and I 
wasn't exhaling into my chromatic but actually  blowing some air (you were 
there, Joe) ...albeit with emotion and "some"  control, and not force.  The 
tendency is to forget that only young healthy  people or athletes, have lungs (and 
chests) like bellows..many older than  teenage people have some impaired lung 
function, or long term bad breathing  practices...so it makes it necessary to 
either relearn how to play  properly or to expend a tad more effort.

"You don't breathe at 14.7  psi while playing a harp. Not unless you  
are playing in braille. When  you're sleeping, you're breathing (if  
you're lucky).  blow &  suck are pressure related words. You can't  
take soda up a straw at  14.7 psi or by breathing, You don't get a  
drink through the Artesian  effect. You must apply pressure (however  
slight). Playing harp should  require 22 psi to get any volume, and  
for people who REALLY blow, more  like 33 psi.   (tee hee)"

>   Out of curiosity,  what kind of harps does Charlie McCoy use   
> nowadays?
>  What kind of harps was he using when he played at Iceman's last    
> harp blast in
> Florida, USA?
 
....Ron:  you could also ask all the SPAH members who talked to  Charlie 
McCoy after giving him a standing ovation for his headlining performance  and then 
his seminar in 2005.  I remember his Shenandoah brought the  audience to 
tears right after finding out Douglas Tate couldn't attend due to  his final 
illness, and his Orange Blossom Special left jaws agape.  He  spent a lot of time 
signing autographs, posing for photos, discussing his  playing and harmonicas 
with so many serious harp players ...many of whom I'm  sure are on this list.  
He then headlined at the  Birmingham Festival  as well, from what I've heard.  
That interaction at a Convention is what  makes the input so valuable from 
those who spoke to him, not just from one  Show.  I doubt he changed his harps 
in such a brief time.  If I  remember correctly, Cara Cooke and Tulsa Read 
(among others) from this list even  interacted with and performed on stage with 
him during the SPAH country  and  Bluegrass seminar...

"Yeah Glacier man, inquiring minds and all  that.
Smokey-Joe's opinion."

> ron

....Great post. Thanks, SmoJoe.



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