Introduce yourself

[November_SSN]

Hello everyone! I'm Paul, from Russia, although I was born and raised in Tacoma, WA. I've recently started playing the harmonica because it's an instrument my late grandfather loved to play, and it's a small thing that can be put in any pocket, which is great as I like camping, historical reenacting and traveling.

[triona]

Hello everyone! I'm Paul, from Russia ...

Hello Paul,

welcome here.
From which town in Russia you are?
Do you know Boris Plotnikov?
I play several nice vargan (khomus, jaws harp) from Russia.


dear greetings
triona

[November_SSN]

Hello! I live in Saratov (but spend one fourth of the year in Saint Petersburg), but have never heard of Boris Plotnikov, I'm heading to Google right now.

[triona]

He is from Moscow.
And he is registrated here too:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=283

https://www.youtube.com/user/etaborya
https://borisplotnikov.ru/
https://www.seydel1847.de/Boris-Plotnikov


dear greetings
triona

[triarius]

Hi,

I recently returned to playing the "harp", after over a quarter of a century without it. Then it had been very nice, I wasn't bad (though I'm simply not interested in performing), but I had developed a nasty hemathoma on my lower lip from all that bending, so I threw the "harp" (sorry, but the harp is really quite a different instrument, and I even personally know a real filharmonic harpist) away. Recently I decided that if I can't get rid of the hemathoma, I may just as well start playing the harmonica again. And I did.

I really like the diatonic "harp" and playing with diatonic instruments (like tin-whistle), but "deep down" I'm a chromatic musician really - wanting to play in any tonation etc., without carrying a suitcase with lots of instruments. I guess this attitude comes from my youthful passion for jazz, though I am no longer as great jazz aficionado. I understand diatonic players quite well, but for me the "serious" playing is on something fully chromatic.

And so I got interested in the chromatic harmonica, which I previously ignored (I play a few other things) and worse... Not being able to find the Hogber Chromonica I somewhere have, I don't even know how I got it, I ordered a very cheap Chinese 14-hole chromatic and started to learn. It seems quite decent - good tone and good tuning - the double holes make it much more difficult to learn but it was cheap...

Now, why am I telling you all this and why am I here in the first place? The thing is that while studying all the available harmonica info, e.g. Brendan Power's fascinating stuff, I got the idea that it could be possible perhaps to make the chromatic harmonica something of "the ultimate MIDI-controller" - better in many respect than keyboards or electronic saxophones! I am serious! I'm not a great fan of electronics in music but, just as the photography got digital, maybe the future of the music is also... And then a smart harmonica-based controller would be a treasure.

But it really would need to be VERY SMART - much smarter and more innovative than the few electronic "harps" of today. And it should be modular - allowing a smooth transition from a realatively cheap acustic instrument to a high-tech digital powerhouse. Similar basic stuff with quite different power and possibilities. I used to be an engineer in telecoms, I've been interested in music all my life and know a thing or two... So, if anybody is interested in discussing such idea, or perhaps even something more, than I'm all ears!

To all the rest of you people I say - pardon my unusually long "introduction"!

[Dorothy]

Hello everyone. I currently call WV, USA my home. I grew up with a garden and I enjoyed playing the diatonic harmonica for fun. I first started on the harmonica when I was given a diatonic harmonica as a very little girl. I later discovered a beautiful old Hohner Chrometta 12 harmonica in the closet in 2012, which renewed my interest in harmonicas. Then I happened to find Brendan's youtube video's about the modular-reed harmonica.