Re: [Harp-L] Re: Why is a harmonica called a harp? (and re: Jaw Harp)

["David R. Fertig" <dfertig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It's all good,  I say harpmonica sometimes, sorta to distinguish between 
formal music and gut bucket.

But all names get cut to a syllable one way or another, no?   And while it 
may at times be an apt term for it's effect, "Harm" has no zing.

Tin Sandwich is cool, too, I like Missisippi Saxophone also for the same 
reason as Russ, but right now my favorite is "Gobiron."  However y'need a 
solid Brit accent to say it right!

And ss if anyone cares, I rarely use the term blues harp 'cauz I don't like 
those toys named by Hohner as such.

But who the heck cares what it's called, so long as it's played with soul 
and a little fever!

-Dave

Ps: here's a query: Wasn't "Jaw Harp" the original name for the rudely 
monikered "Jews Harp"?



At 11:34 AM 1/7/2005, Russ Bradley wrote:
> Both my parents are from Tennessee.  I always heard them, and my uncle who 
> played, refer to the instrument as a "French harp".  Or harp for short.
> My father used to bring them home for me when he went on trips.  He would 
> hand it to me and say, "Here's a French harp for you."
> The only reason I knew it was called a harmonica was because that was what 
> was written on the box.
> You can go just about anywhere in the south and, if you say you play harp, 
> people automatically assume you're not talking about that tall thing with 
> strings that they play in the symphony.
>
> Mississippi saxophone is my favorite moniker, maybe because it refers more 
> to a style of playing than the instrument itself.
>
> Russ
>
> larryboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> > Elliot ZAIS write in part:
> > I'm sure there is some interesting history (on the name harp) However, it
> > doesn't justify replacing the perfectly good name of our instrument, the
> > harmonica or mouth organ with the perfectly good name of another, radically
> > different, instrument, the harp. Appeals to "tradition", i.e., we've 
> > called it
> > a harp for too long to change, seem to be rather weak arguments. Granted,
> > harmonica is a long word at four syllables. A snappy one or two syllable name
> > would be nice. I just don't think it should be harp.
> >
> >
> >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 8<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> >
> > What goes around comes around.  How long has it been since the discussion 
> > of our
> > instrument's nom de plume?  If you just call it a harmonica, then how do you
> > differentiate between diatonic and chromatic?  There was a move afoot to call
> > the diatonic a "short harp" and the Chromatic a "long harp".  But that had
> > problems since some diatonics are longer than some chromatics.  What about a
> > tremolo or octave, or bass harps?
> >
> > My personal favorite moniker is "two-bit tin sandwich"
> >
> > Best Regards to All,
> >
> > Larry Boy Pratt
> > www.parkhousejam.com
> >
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