Re: [Harp-L] Changing the Way You Hold the Harp (long)

[fjm <mktspot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It is confusing.  In general right handed people hold the harmonica in 
their left hands.  Just for fun I checked 3 harmonica instruction books. 
 The Harp Handbook, Blues Harp and Country Harmonica.  All 3 suggest 
that right handed people hold the instrument in their left hands.  Move 
to chromatic, where's the slide button?  On the right.  Imagine holding 
right and pushing the slide.  Pretty annoying and I know because that's 
how I play a chromatic.  Generalising about how left handed people do 
anything is less easily done.  The 2 left handed guitar players I've 
played with in bands played right handed.  I know several left handed 
people that use scissors in their right hands.  Left handed people 
living in a right handed world have to adapt.  We see people doing 
things and try to imitate them.  Statistically we're much more likely to 
learn from a right handed image than a left handed one.  Back to 
scissors.  I use right handed scissors in my left hand but they have 
left handed grips.  If you tip a right handed scissors to the left of 
centre you can use them left handed.  That right handed scissors are 
available with left grips tells you I'm not the only person who uses 
them this way. Oh add Johnny Mars to the list of players who holds right 
with the low notes to his right.  Gleaned from  my quick glance at the 
Harp Handbook.  Left handed people are 7-10% of the population.  It 
would be interesting to know what percentage of people hold which of the 
several ways you can hold a harmonica and what their handedness was.  fjm