Re: [Harp-L] Re: [Harp - L] Harmonica tuning

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Payne wrote:
> If you look at Harp L often, I think you can build an impression 
> that everybody is overblowing. That's not true. Most people who 
> play are harmonica do not. 

This is absolutely true.  However, reading harp-l *should* give 
someone an idea of the fabulous diversity of the harmonica and the 
music to which it is applied.  When you think you've heard it all, 
dig a little deeper and there's more.  For this very reason, no one 
harmonica model is suited to all players.  And to the original post, 
this is why there are so many harmonica models and also why 
customizers create still more variations.  Everyone has very 
personal taste in tuning, intonation, materials, tone, and all the 
other aspects of the harmonica.  Still, remember, the VAST majority 
of harmonica players play "out of the box" models of some kind.  

>  Plus, the Marine Band is an American institution from Germany. 
> You don't change it. There's been a few times Hohner has made 
> some sort of slight change to it or spoke of change and Marine 
> Band players have rioted. 

The Marine Band has changed subtly over the more than a century it's 
been in production.  Some changes have gotten little or no reaction 
from players (switching from peachwood to pearwood for combs, 
changing the number of nails holding the plates to the comb), some 
have been widely embraced (switching from 7-limit just to compromise 
intonation, switching from nickel plating to chrome for the covers), 
and some have been outright rejected (remember the MS Marine Band, 
anyone?).  Still, I'd bet that the Marine Band is the best selling 
harmonica in the world.  

-tim