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I didn't look at this thread because I seriously thought that it was about harps, not harmonicas.
In the late 60s, shortly after I learned to play guitar, I bought a harmonica to learn the blues. Could not figure out the instructions for using the tongue on the holes and blow out of the corner. I did love it when a Harmonicats song came on, saw Larry Adler live in New York one time. Over the next few years I kept my harp with me, only tried playing occasionally with the pursed lip style that didn't work well. After I became a propman in the Hollywood movie studios, I was assigned to a pilot at Paramount with Al Molinaro from Happy Days, and Lyle Waggoner from The Carol Burnett Show. On the third rehearsal day, the producers announced that they have to rework the script and told us all to hang in for a couple of hours.
After a few minutes, Al brought out his ukulele and started playing. Then the casting director, an old song and dance man, started doing a soft shoe. Sitting in the audience bleachers, Lyle pulls out a harmonica and really cooks. As soon they finished, I zipped over to Lyle and told him that for the last 10 years I've been trying to figure out the tongue example that came with my harmonica.
Lyle said that he will show me how the person that taught him did it. He took my hand and put the outside fleshy part in his mouth and played it like it was a harmonica. WOW, that's all I needed, got it then and there. I took out my harmonica and within seconds, could play On Top of Old Smokey!
A couple of weeks later I was working on another pilot, which included a teenage heart throb type, but a very nice guy. During our lunch break, I practiced my harmonica when he came over, pulled out a harmonica and did some great blues licks. I asked how to do that and he explained that it's all in the tongue, reshaping it to create the blues sound. As it turns out, my tongue was made for it. As a kid I worked on snapping my tongue really loud, and in doing so, made my togue very strong and flexible. He showed me how he formed his tongue, I did readily, and boom, I had the blues.
Recently with my group getting together again because the covid restrictions eased a bit, we started meeting every other Wednesday and Sunday outside. On Wednesday I play bass uke, on Sunday our other bass uke player is up, which gives me opportunity to play ukulele, and opened the door to also play blues harmonica whenever a blues song is requested for our pre-set play list. It's been great to be able to do that again. I have seven Lee Oscars to cover all the keys we play.
Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 36)
•Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
•Member The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
In the late 60s, shortly after I learned to play guitar, I bought a harmonica to learn the blues. Could not figure out the instructions for using the tongue on the holes and blow out of the corner. I did love it when a Harmonicats song came on, saw Larry Adler live in New York one time. Over the next few years I kept my harp with me, only tried playing occasionally with the pursed lip style that didn't work well. After I became a propman in the Hollywood movie studios, I was assigned to a pilot at Paramount with Al Molinaro from Happy Days, and Lyle Waggoner from The Carol Burnett Show. On the third rehearsal day, the producers announced that they have to rework the script and told us all to hang in for a couple of hours.
After a few minutes, Al brought out his ukulele and started playing. Then the casting director, an old song and dance man, started doing a soft shoe. Sitting in the audience bleachers, Lyle pulls out a harmonica and really cooks. As soon they finished, I zipped over to Lyle and told him that for the last 10 years I've been trying to figure out the tongue example that came with my harmonica.
Lyle said that he will show me how the person that taught him did it. He took my hand and put the outside fleshy part in his mouth and played it like it was a harmonica. WOW, that's all I needed, got it then and there. I took out my harmonica and within seconds, could play On Top of Old Smokey!
A couple of weeks later I was working on another pilot, which included a teenage heart throb type, but a very nice guy. During our lunch break, I practiced my harmonica when he came over, pulled out a harmonica and did some great blues licks. I asked how to do that and he explained that it's all in the tongue, reshaping it to create the blues sound. As it turns out, my tongue was made for it. As a kid I worked on snapping my tongue really loud, and in doing so, made my togue very strong and flexible. He showed me how he formed his tongue, I did readily, and boom, I had the blues.
Recently with my group getting together again because the covid restrictions eased a bit, we started meeting every other Wednesday and Sunday outside. On Wednesday I play bass uke, on Sunday our other bass uke player is up, which gives me opportunity to play ukulele, and opened the door to also play blues harmonica whenever a blues song is requested for our pre-set play list. It's been great to be able to do that again. I have seven Lee Oscars to cover all the keys we play.
Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 36)
•Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
•Member The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
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