Re: [Harp-L] Re: is harmonica your first instument ?

["Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

The MB was my first instrument.

My grandfather gave me one of his MBs when I was 8.  At first I felt a 
soaring enthusiasm for the harmonica that was quickly followed by 
disappointment and frustration that the missing notes (fa, la, and 
accidentals) of Richter tuning made the tunes I wanted to play inaccessible. 
As a teenager, I learned guitar and discovered the chromatic harmonica.  I 
have spent about 50 years experimenting with various foot-pedal arrangements 
for playing chromatic with guitar.  In 2001, I invented the 
Hands-Free-Chromatic that is, at least for me, the ultimate solution to the 
problem.

In my opinion, the chromatic and the guitar make an ideal combination.  The 
chromatic makes reedy toned, sustained-note melody that contrasts nicely 
with the mellow tones, bass, chords, and rhythm of the guitar. With three 
octaves of the chromatic scale and all chords at hand, any and all pieces 
are playable solo. Practice on the coordination to play both instruments 
simultaneously is more rewarding to me than equivalent practice of bending 
and overblowing.

Vern
Visit my website Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com.