solo tuned harp

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear David,

coming to this web side I intended to learn and improve my blues playing skill on a diatonic, like everybody else. But after eventually stumbling over your Blues on Chromatic harps I found myself enjoying them

S O  M U C H

that I forgot why I came to this place first. I even went so far as abusing the holes 4-7 of a diatonic as a fake chromatic just to be able to exercise your studies while comuting (I have a diatonic that never leaves the car just for cleaning) or in the lunch break.

I thank you so much for this enlightement. These in their nucleus rather simple lessons (at least 1, 2 and to some extent 3) have hit my liking and my humble playing wits simply "square". I can not speak for all your pupils, many if not most of them aiming high, but if it would be for me to have a free-wish, I would wish me 2..3..4 such simple lessons for the diatonic too.

I came from Adam Gussow poking most and tongue-blocking only in special cases thinking I can play a harp until I frontally colided with your more advanced lessons that showed me how far from mastedom I was, and how wrong the way I was going is.

Since then, having had a culture shock, I got scared off the diatonics and enjoy what remained for me to do with that chromatic w/o slide, knowing that I will not come far on this road but enjoying the ride. Having exercised tongue blocking too hard for a couple of days, I got a sore tongue and some muscle aches and my wife became weird suspicions hearing me speak so awkwardly as if already liquored up a tiny bit so early in the morning...

This is why, not aiming to get nowhere even near to becoming a pro musician, I wish I would find some simple lessons to improve my amateur ambitions and fill  my theoretical voids. There are several such !undoubtedly! on your web side, but they are hard to find and set-asside from the other that scare me off.

Thank you very much for all you do. The way you open for me is amazing and tempting, but I fear I can not cope with it's  requirements, aiming just for a dabbling exercise.

Your most friendly, Razvan

I perfectly understand your strategy  dear David! This is a site for people aiming high and it is perfectly matching this goal the way you and your dear ones molded it to what it is.

It is me the alien with my wish for simplicity, not aiming so high like the rest of your pupils. But I am doing well, I have learned a lot since following your lessons and it is up to me now to see what fits my possibilities and what remains for the next life ahead of me.

I do have chromatics. By being more of a tech as a player, I actually have a proud one in a hybrid version: the reed plates & covers come from a plain Hohner 270 (no deluxe) from which I discarded those honorable pearwood combs and nails in a wide bow towards the far horizon. The wind savers are made of a silicon texture used from wifes to keep the cookies from sticking to the baking plate. 

The comb I got from Brendan Power (very fine business indeed!!!) and I adapted to the whole the mouthpiece from a Hohner Discovery because the plastic is gentler to my lips and also because by being simpler (one layer less) it is more air-tight and does not sound like a chain-gang when I push the slider (the idea is not mine, I stole it from somewhere on the net!).

BUT:

I prefer playing with my Seydel Pro12 in Solo tuning because it feels so much better and I can bend the notes much juicyer (to cite Brendan Power). I like the geniality of simplicity and the complicated chromatic with it's valves and sliders scares me off, somewhat, although I know that there is a reason and a price to pay for it.

I also had an otherwise very very fine Hohner CX, but gave it away because I could not blow it decently with it's huge mouthpiece without dislocating my jaw joints.

Thank you for your attention and understanding! I just play for fun.

Yours friendly, Razvan