Re: Next Step (TV)

[Bobbie Giordano <bobg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

g/mail/postponed-mail/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII


On Wed, 29 Mar 1995, Thomas Hinkle wrote:

> On Tue, 28 Mar 1995, Mike Curtis wrote:

> > Bobbie,
> > If it was, as you say a moulded black body, and (you imply) chromatic,
> > it will have been the Hohner CX12 - hardly an innovation, though, I've 
> > had mine for at least three years - they sound kinda like the old CBH 
> > chromatics, and come apart very easily - sadly the slide mechanism 
> > appears to be very noisy - no problem amplified, but playing classical
> > stuff, it can be a real drag 

> > If it was a blues harp, then yes, it was a Cross Harp. They are not,
> > however, made of steel. The covers are made of some sort of "mickey
> > mouse" alloy, and painted black (the paint doesn't last long), and the
> > combs are plastic with a gold-looking coating or plating on them. The
> > reed-plates are thicker than on a regular harp, which means a greater
> > amplitude for the vibrating reed, and therefore more volume, but it also
> > means that a different alloy has to be used to make the reeds, 'cos
> > otherwise they'd break too quick.
> >
> > Grievin' Steven at the Harmonica Store was showing me a stacked harmonica
> > a year or two back.  It was small, like a diatonic, but had C and Db harps
> > in it.  It had a double row of holes, and you "slide"  it by playing the
> > lower set.  I forget what it's called, and am not sure as to the 
> > manufacturer.  I'll ask Steven next time I see him.
> >
> > -- mike

> This sounds like the following, described in some big catalogue I've got
> here...The Hohner Slide Harp...has the exact tuning of the traditional
> diatonic harmonica, with its haunting chords and wailing bent notes...then,
> similar to a chromatic harmonica, it has a slide with a button on it.  
> When this button is pressed in the pitch of the instrument is raised a 
> musical half step.  The slide harp is basically two instruments in one, 
> one being tuned in the key of c, the other being one half-step higher in 
> the key of c sharp.

Sorry for running the whole message--gremlins have been menacing our 
freenet lately.  Evidently, I never saw Mike's response, except in a 
variety of snippets and my composer crashed 2-3 times lately! (....!)
Nearly used that "free speech"!! >:)

Mike:
Anyway, this seems to be the jist of your post, Mike, so don't bother 
too much if what's here covers it pretty well.  Thanks. :-)

Thomas:
I have a feeling the Slide Harp may be the one I saw.  Your catalogue 
description sounded close to what the demonstrator said about it.  One
thing, the covers appeared to be flared at the back (if placed mouthside 
up on a surface and viewed from one end, it would resemble a bell-shape) 
if that helps to imagine its form.  It was larger than a diatonic, had 
the button on the right hand end, and the body did appear to be some sort
of matte black finished, molded material.  Basically though, there was not 
really much "new" under the sun in harps on the program that I saw.  It 
must be hard to improve on a good thing, huh?

Till next,                              
....Bobbie                                            *Harp Spoken Here*

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