[Harp-L] Chromatic v Diatonic

["Aongus Mac Cana" <amaccana@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't quite get this chromatic v diatonic divide.
This is probably an age thing, since it is over sixty years since I first
put a mouth organ in my gob. 
In those faraway days a diatonic (probably a tremolo) cost less than a
dollar in your guys money and a chromatic Hohner was about two bucks.
Neither was held in much respect by the "serious music" community.
Teachers were unknown and tutors were limited to Captain T. Reilly's "The
correct way to play the Chromatic Harmonica" From Captain Reilly's book I
learned that if I was serious about playing a mouth organ it had to be a
chromatic and that tongue blocking was  also 'de rigeur'. I took Reilly's
advice on board and made some pathetic efforts to achieve competence. I then
abandoned the efforts for about fifty years and only resumed my love affair
with the harmonica fairly recently when I found out that the scene has
changed somewhat since my youth (Brendan Power, Mick Kinsella and Rick
Epping for a start) and that anyway "the important thing is not winning but
taking part"
I guess I am showing my age when I say that I still consider the late Larry
Adler to be the undisputed "alltime great of the mouth organ" - especially
in view of the fact that he played it in an era when it was "neither popular
nor (particularly) profitable". I feel that Adler was to the mouth organ
what Sean Maguire was to the Irish fiddle. Neither of these virtuosi was
devoid of ego, but they were both prepared to put it up to anyone on the
basis of: "Cap this if you can!"
I gather that Howard Levy, who I have yet to come to terms with, is the ten
hole harp equivalent of Sean Maguire. I hope I will live long enough to
appreciate what he is doing and to enjoy it.
In the meantime thanks to harp-l I have learned that "You are not a man at
all until you can play the ten hole diatonic chromatically" so when I can
manage to play the chromatic chromatically, for my next trick I shall try to
get my trusty Seydel 1847 out of first position. 
It's the chromatic for having all the required notes on tap, but the sound
of the Blues Harp is something special. I will have both if that is OK with
everybody. 
Beannachtai
Aongus Mac Cana