[Harp-L] Re: Gear Debate - beginners

[Maka McMahon <makamcmahon@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm a late starter on harp.  In my late 40s when I first went to a one day beginners workshop - there were 35 people there.  Then I did a one semester, beginners' evening course (8 x 2 hr) at the local college.  14 of us, and everyone expressed enthusiasm to keep the momentum going, so we met at a home at the same time each Thursday.  14 became 9, became 5, became 7 (we picked up a couple of 'strays') and 18 months later is a steady 6.

There are no harp teachers in town - the guy that ran (and still runs) the college course was 'roped in' on two days notice when the last harmonica instructor left town. He had no teaching background, and wasn't available for our group as he had the college course that took his available time.

What's this got to do with gear?  The attrition rate amongst the local potential harp enthusiasts is due to all the other things that happen in life. Some of those things (but not many) are more important than harp. Keeping the harp group motivated and progressing in this world full of distractions (minor things like global financial crises) is an issue, particularly without an instructor. Even opportunities for practice are limited by demands like jobs and families. 

'Toys' and 'gadgets' do help.  Playing with a mic is different - a new challenge. So is tapping your foot on a stompbox while you play.  Comparing different mics, amps, extension cabs and PAs is an interesting exercise regardless of experience level.  Gear is part of the harmonica experience - even for beginners.  So we use gear to expand our horizons, provide new challenges and help maintain interest and motivation. And to play with stuff (the kids don't have exclusive rights to that).

It doesn't need to cost a lot - I've got an entire rig that was less than $20! Homemade mic using an element from an old phone handset that plugs into a lead made from an old electrical extension cord then into an ancient 'Old Smokey' style amp ($1.04 on eBay) into an extension cab from an old movie projector (eBay again).  Biggest investment was the jacks and sockets.  And this makes some real gritty, overdriven sound.  A cheap mic and a cheap guitar amp are an option, as are some of the older karaoke rigs that are getting real cheap second-hand.  You can learn a lot about mic and amplified harp technique before investing in that hot JT-30 and SJ410.

To keep thing interesting we also 'hijack' harp players from visiting bands to run workshops for us, and we get to check out their gear - we've had a Cruncher already!  We've also just had our first 'family and friends' performance - all acoustic.  The next performance (who knows when) is likely to be amplified, so gear will become a bigger part of our harp activities.

Gear - its almost like death and taxes if you're a harp player, except it's fun!  Just beware the dark side of 'chronic GAS' and 'facade Freddie' (the look is way more important than the chops).  Gear, taken in moderation, is good for your harmonica happiness - even for beginners.

Cheers
Maka


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