Harp Surgery – Page 12 – the harmonica player's web site

There’s No Place Like Ohm – Microphone Impedance

June 4, 2011 Greg

Our previous article in the Harmonica Microphones series mentioned impedance. Here we describe not so much what it is, but what it means to harp players wielding microphones.

The Harmonica Microphone Series begins The microphones we are talking about in this series of articles are referred to as either “high impedance” or “low impedance.” In general, a vintage bullet mic is a high impedance device and a modern vocal mic is a low impedance one. This is not always the case, however. Read more

Goin’ To The Church – ‘King King’ Revisited

May 31, 2011 The Captain

Came home with her eyes on fire

Dear reader, indulge us in a moment of unadulterated nostalgia, courtesy of our very dear friend, The Riverboat Captain. Bandanas and bullet mics at the ready..

King King was a former Chinese restaurant on the north west corner of 6th and La Brea in Hancock Park. In the early 90s, Monday night regulars The Red Devils staked their claim to be Los Angeles’ biggest bar band, drawing in city bluesheads and celebrity scenesters alike with their raw, straight-ahead juke joint sound. Read more

Microphone Elements Explained – Part 2

May 16, 2011 Greg

It’s been a while, folks, but at last we continue the Harmonica Microphones series with the second part of Greg Heumann’s exposition on microphone elements.

Last time around, we described two kinds of elements used for amplified blues harp – dynamic and crystal elements. So let’s name some of the most sought-after crystal and dynamic elements, and find out how to shop around for them. Read more

Country Harmonica – First Steps

March 4, 2011 The Good Doctor

I’m going up the country, baby do you wanna go?

So you’re a blues harp player and you’ve been asked to cover a country tune. Or perhaps the blues got you started on the harp, but now you want to try something different. Either way, where do you begin? You could try kicking off your shoes, rolling up your britches, wearing a big old cowpoke hat and wedging a tooth pick in your teeth. Not.

The answer is to start by mapping out the essential notes. We can look at technique and learn licks in future posts. But as a blues player, or any kind of player, the place to start is with the Country Scale. Let’s go.. Read more

It’s Called a Heart – Marli Harwood

February 12, 2011 The Good Doctor

Who plays harmonica on It’s Called A Heart?

It was a typical Friday down at the Harp Surgery. A pile of letters in the Good Doctor’s in-tray, a stack of reed plates awaiting attention, a half-finished cup of tea on the desk and the phone ringing off the hook. Suddenly the Doc’s ears pricked up.

Through the hubbub his attention was drawn to a song on the radio which, unless his senses deceived him, had a subtle hint of harp in the mix. He attacked the volume dial, picked up his tea cup and tapped along with a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer. Read more

Amazing Grate – First Steps On Those High End Holes

February 9, 2011 The Good Doctor

How strange the sound

Young Malcolm called into the Harp Surgery today, hot on the heels of our Harpin’ By The Sea event. Having witnessed Will Greener’s performance of Amazing Grace, he was keen to revisit the tune from scratch.

Using a C major 10 hole diatonic, we knew that the tune can be played using 7B as the root. But while this avoids any nasty bends, it does sound rather shrill. Also, as a beginner, it demands a strong embouchure and some dexterity around a specific triplet of notes. Read more