[Harp-L] What first attracted you to harmonica? Why did you learn to play it?

[Laurent Vigouroux]

Mark wrote:
>I thought it would be easy.....:-l
>:-)
Nice one!!! :-)

For me, at first it's simply the sound of the diatonic that attracted me. I was deep into french pop and one of the groups (named "The little rabitts") had lots of harmonica in his songs. I was around 20 and eager to learn music (couldn't do it in my youth). I bought a diato in C, tried to play it and to reproduce what was on the Little Rabbits records, with the help of my fellow school buddies. Then I started to try and play melodies.
But I found out that lots of notes were misssing (dont laugh :-) ), so I bought a Chromonica to have all of them and play song melodies (Beatles, French songs, etc ...).

But after 1 or 2 years, something in the diatonic was so appaeling to me that I switched back to it and started learning bends and to play blues. 
Since then, I've been playing diatonic continually. 

I had a big switch a few years ago from traditional playing (and using "positions") to jazz playing (and learning Jazz Harmony).

20+ later, I still wonder why I chose the harmonica and particularly why I sticked to it despite the incredibly difficulty to play it chromatically.
I think this has something to do with my inferiority complex regarding music: I started learning music quite late and I've got wooden ears. So playing an instrument that is somehow considered as a toy was something that suited me more than playing a "noble" instrument.
But this is more complexe than that, because I'm fond of the fact that the diatonic is actually a fully chromatic instrument, and I'm kind of happy and proud to astonish other musician when I start playing our little instrument.

A sort of modest arrogance (I love the oxymorons :-) )