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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner |
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| Harmonica rack- how do I use it? - Harmonica - Other Instruments - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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ShadyHarrison Approved 
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Hi, all. One of my gifts for Christmas was a harmonica stand, but as luck would have it, I don't have a clue how to use the thing. Can somebody please attempt to explain? Shady
____________________ "If I'm going to see the light, maybe I will be alright, for now I'm headin' down that centre line" Mike McLaren. http://ezfolk.com/audio/Shady my ezfolk audio site- Yahoo! |
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Will Approved 
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ShadyHarrison wrote: Hi, all. Does your harmonica rack look like this?  The device is meant to go around your neck, so that it holds the harmonica for you while you are playing another instrument (guitar, uke, etc.). The harmonica snaps in place with the low notes on the left side.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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ShadyHarrison Approved
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Thanks, Will. That's precisely it. 
____________________ "If I'm going to see the light, maybe I will be alright, for now I'm headin' down that centre line" Mike McLaren. http://ezfolk.com/audio/Shady my ezfolk audio site- Yahoo! |
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Richard Hefner Administrator 
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Shady, I'm using a rack like that in these harmonica video tabs I recently uploaded (click to play them)... As far as using it, it's like everything else and just requires practice. The hardest part of it is getting used to playing another instrument (guitar or whatever) while your playing the harmonica, but it's actually pretty easy if you practice it a while. When I was learning to use the rack I would usually just strum the guitar slowly (like I'm doing in the first part of the House of the Rising Sun video), then as I got more comfortable with it I could play both instruments pretty normally at the same time... but it does take quite a bit of practice to get the hang of it.
____________________ Richard Hefner Webmaster, ezFolk.com MP3 Page: http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/richardhefner Running Blog: http://old-runner.com |
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ShadyHarrison Approved
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OK- second part of my question- how do I get the thing in the stand without donating fingers to the cause...
____________________ "If I'm going to see the light, maybe I will be alright, for now I'm headin' down that centre line" Mike McLaren. http://ezfolk.com/audio/Shady my ezfolk audio site- Yahoo! |
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Richard Hefner Administrator
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It's got a spring in there but it's not a mousetrap... just pull it open and put the harp in. Some non-standard harmonicas have funny shapes sometimes and don't fit too well (things like Echo harps, etc.) so those won't work well in a rack unless you can figure out a way to keep them from sliding around. The regular 10-hole harps fit fine though.
____________________ Richard Hefner Webmaster, ezFolk.com MP3 Page: http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/richardhefner Running Blog: http://old-runner.com |
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Jim Yates Approved 
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My problem with rack playing is playing a vibrato. I use my hands to achieve this when I'm playing with no rack, but could never get the hang of the throat vibrato that players like Willie P. Bennett did so well.
____________________ Jim http://www.myspace.com/jimyates http://www.myspace.com/kirbyandyates http://www.myspace.com/kirbyyatesmazurek |
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Philj200 Approved 
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I'm from the school of harp players who consider your hands to be part of the instrument. Shaping the tone, volume... helping notes bend... as such, I bought a harp holding and it's lasted me forty or more years, since I just about never use it. There was a guy called the Wonder Bean (no seriously, that was his name), who played a very interesting kid of harp, holder, guitar setup. His holder was clamped to the guitar. A rod came up from the side of the guitar to mouth height, where he could play or not as he wished. Not a bad idea. He couldn't use his hands to fashion tones on the harp either but he wasn't entangled by the thing around his neck. I've heard that dentists will purchase used harmonica holders for use as brace retainers. But that just might be a rumor.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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Jim Yates Approved
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Hey Phil, I bought mine about the same time, in the mid-sixties, right after I first heard Jimmie Reed, John Hammond, Bob Dylan, Patrick Sky and all those guys. I didn't use it much till about 25 years ago, and I really like playing with it now.
____________________ Jim http://www.myspace.com/jimyates http://www.myspace.com/kirbyandyates http://www.myspace.com/kirbyyatesmazurek |
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Philj200 Approved
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Jim, I wish you lived closer to me... or me to you. I bet our arguements would be a lot of fun. In the meantime, I've been looking for a Kentuckey Wonder Bean songbook I have (someplace). Nice version of the Rosewood Casket in it. If the harp rack works for you, enjoy it. It's supposed to be fun.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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garyblanchard Approved 
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I'm another who has only used a harp rack. I always say that I am from the "Bob Dylan Fake-It School of harmonica," but actually Dylan is pretty good at it. I just play stuff that sounds close to the chords I'm playing. The great thing about musical instruments is that there are many ways to play them. Some might be more accepted than others, but none is wrong. 
____________________ http://www.GBandF.com |
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| ezFolk Forums > Other Instruments > Harmonica > Harmonica rack- how do I use it? | |
