Re: [Harp-L] the harp I hate the most plays the best, please explain.



Update:  when my wife observed that i had blood dripping from my chin
....she finally convinced me to put the MB down and gargle some hydrogen
peroxide solution.

:-0
On Mar 2, 2013 8:46 PM, "Eric Miller" <miller.eric.t@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> i don't tb either...im just freaking out over here at how much better this
> thing plays.  It's like when you drive a performance sportscar...it doesn't
> have the suspension or steering setup that a luxury car has...so you feel
> the road through your hands and butt and get beat up driving it...but the
> luxury car could never keep up with it.
>
> the spec20s and similar are the luxury cars.  BMW 7 series.
> the MB is a Lotus Elise.  lightening fast and you pay a physical price to
> drive it.
>
> The fact that you've noticed the same on a LOW E FLAT means my theory
> about the C being easier to play than the A/G's may not be correct.
>
> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 8:37 PM, Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi Eric
>> I'm just the same. The harps of choice for me these days are Special 20s
>> and Promasters and my choice is predicated on comfortlargely because I'm
>> playing for three or four hours at a time in our pub sessions. The only MB
>> I'm left with these days is a low E flatwhich I need about once per long
>> evening. Even then I'm aware of it's abrasive effect on the lips (I'd never
>> in a million years be able to play MBs all night).Yet when I pick it up
>> it's beautifully mellow yet raunchy. Not the loudest, but responsive and
>> characterful. Damn. It has the sound and response I want but the discomfort
>> is just too much. I don't tongue-block,which I suppose might have something
>> to do with it...
>> Steve
>>
>>
>>
>> > Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2013 20:16:10 -0500
>> > From: miller.eric.t@xxxxxxxxx
>> > To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>> > Subject: [Harp-L] the harp I hate the most plays the best, please
>> explain.
>> >
>> > I stopped playing regular (MB style) harps about a month after I started
>> > playing harmonica, as soon as I had played my first special 20.  All the
>> > harps I've purchased and played since then have been recessed reed plate
>> > designs (spec 20s, sessions, harpmasters).  I just like the way they
>> > feel...those who have played both know I mean, although I'm sure not
>> > everybody prefers them.
>> >
>> > I've been playing recessed reed harps in G and A for several months now,
>> > practicing 1-3 hours per day, making good progress, getting faster and
>> more
>> > confident with improv.
>> >
>> > Today, for the first time in three months, I picked my old  C Marine
>> > Band.....and I was easily about 25% faster and cleaner with all my licks
>> > and runs.  It was like magic, I was playing better and it was easier
>> than
>> > normal, not harder. The harp itself was also brighter and more
>> responsive.
>> >   I *still *am not fond of the mouth feel...its very sharp and the
>> edges of
>> > the holes feel like a very coarse cheese grater positioned between two
>> > horizontal piano wires.  It's physically uncomfortable to play.  But,
>> > damn...I sounded like a different player on this thing...I was ripping
>> on
>> > some of the standard fast licks, couldn't even come close to it when I
>> > tried again on any of my other harps.
>> >
>> > Anybody else experience this and have any ideas what might cause it?  In
>> > the interest of keeping this email short, I've put my theories
>> below...feel
>> > free to ignore them if you know the answer.
>>
>>
>>
>
>



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