[Harp-L] Re: Rick Epping- Blackird at IronLung 2004 -> What Harmonica is that?

["Rick Epping" <rickepping@xxxxxxxxx>]

>
>
> Hi Jim,

The XB-40, like any harmonica, has its own voice, which can take some time
finding.  That said, a beginner should get on fine with it.   I would
recommend a key of G to start with.  The other keys I use most are A and low
D.

The other type of harmonica I use besides XB-40s and 10-hole, 20-reed
diatonics in various tunings are 10-hole, 40-reed octave diatonics I build
onto chromatic bodies.  They're like the Hohner Auto-Valve only louder, and
sound very much like single-row melodions, especially when played in
octaves, which produces the same voicing as a melodion: one low, two middle
and one high reed per note.

Best,
Rick



>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 15:05:40 -0500
> From: "James boutilier" <jamesb@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] re: Rick Epping- Blackird at IronLung 2004 -> What
>        Harmonica is that?
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Message-ID: <20090107200540.784A61CE302@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Mr Epping.  Thanks for chiming in.
>
> If you have a second...  do you think the XB-40 is a machine for a
> beginner?  (i messed around with a little blues before, but no learned
> memory of positions etc...)
>
> or... if not using the XB-40, is there a second harmonica you would say
> could have a decent quality and sound/play performance ?
>
> Thanks kindly from an icy Nova Scotia...
>
> Jim
>