Re: [Harp-L] Best harmonica tuning to play "tunes and songs"

[richard perkins <judoblues2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have to agree with richard, I prefer Lee Oscars for my harp of choice, Im 
prettty broke (mental health care worker) wife now early retirement for 
healthreasons etc etc. but I feel for an out of the box harp they last the 
longest easy to retune.and prefer playing the natural minor harps over 4th 
position on most tunes   and I prefer the slightly higher pitch its tuned at, 
.But I don't think there is any right or wrong harp. Its a matter of personal 
preference and the way you play, I even use Johnson blues harps (gasp) in 
turbolids, they have an odd sound for a harp but it works great for some tunes 
without using any effects, just have to tinker with them.   Audience and 
fellowband members thinks it sounds pretty good.



________________________________
 harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
From: Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 11:28:38 AM
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Best harmonica tuning to play "tunes and songs"

Steve Shaw wrote:

>I'm aware of the shrill feel of Lee Oskars when I'm playing, but have found 
>>that this doesn't come through at all when I listen back to recordings of 
>>myself.

I don't find Oskars to be shrill.  All of the solo pieces for sale that you hear 
on my website at http://www.hunterharp.com/all-hunters-downloads-in-one-place/ 
were recorded on Lee Oskar harmonicas (except for The Star Spangled Banner).  I 
think those pieces sound pretty warm.  You can hear a wider range of my solo 
pieces at: 

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RichardHunter
and almost all of them were recorded on Oskars.  Again, I think the basic sound 
of the harp (which is all you hear on those recordings, a little reverb aside) 
is very nice--I doubt that any listener would describe those tones as shrill.

I agree that Oskars don't overblow as readily as some other makes. I find that 
the main issue isn't getting the overblow, but sustaining it; it's when I hold 
an overblown note on the Oskar that I hear the high-pitched overtones come 
through. Given that a lot of players don't overblow at all, that's not 
necessarily a problem for many people.  It's not usually a problem for me 
because I mostly use overblown notes for passing tones.  If I need a note that's 
not on the instrument and critical to the piece, I'll probably use a different 
tuning instead.  


I make a point of buying harmonicas from every manufacturer out there, and I 
haven't yet discovered an off the shelf instrument that satisfies my every 
desire.  I do enjoy playing the Oskars as much as I enjoy playing any other 
make, and where non-standard tunings are concerned they're very convenient. I 
can get most of the special tunings I use (Paddy Richter, natural minor, dorian 
minor, country, melody maker, etc.) easily from Oskar off-the-shelf or by 
combing reed plates from different tunings, in most cases without having to tune 
more than one reed, if that. And of course, as per comments by others on this 
list, the generally even response and reliability of Oskars is a real plus. In 
the last few years I've bought dozens of harps from almost every manufacturer, 
ranging in price from less than $20 to $80, and the Oskars outlast them all.  


I've generally avoided buying customized instruments to this point, but I 
suppose that sooner or later I'll throw down the money to some customizer, just 
to see whether I get the perfect instrument in return. You know, an instrument 
that lets me play as loud as ZZ Top (without an amp) and as fast as Yngwie 
Malmsteen, with no possibility of reeds jamming, breaking, or going out of tune, 
forever.  I'd pay plenty for that instrument.  Especially if I could also make 
it assume any tuning desired instantly.  And have it drive my car for me while I 
practice.    


Regards, Richard Hunter


author, "Jazz Harp" 
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
more mp3s at http://taxi.com/rhunter
Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick
Twitter: lightninrick