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OT-  Barney Fife, harmonica player
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nacoran
9058 posts
May 13, 2016
1:22 PM
I was watching old TV the other day, and low and behold, there was Barney Fife playing harmonica. I can't tell for sure if it really was Don Knotts playing, but it looks like it might be. (He moves up the harp as the melody goes up, etc.) Nothing brilliant, but fun anyway. The episode is about a goat that eats dynamite. Andy calls Barney's harp a 'French Harp'.



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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
STME58
1687 posts
May 13, 2016
9:43 PM
I can attest that harmonica and goats work well together.
nacoran
9063 posts
May 13, 2016
10:36 PM
STME58, I like that. We used to have a cat that would come out of hiding when she heard singing. Most of the time it was like she wasn't even there. Some people visited for a couple days without even realizing she lived there, but start singing and she thought it was time to be pet. :)


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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
STME58
1688 posts
May 13, 2016
10:55 PM
If you have been around animals and instruments much you know that the goat coming into Barney's office to listen to that harp is not that far fetched.

My sister has a cat that seems to love music. I was not too surprised when the cat got up on my lap and sniffed at my hands when I was playing harp, But I was very surprised when the cat put it's nose right up the bell of my trumpet while I was playing!
Goldbrick
1445 posts
May 14, 2016
6:24 AM


Yep back in the day shows had music

Actual guitar playing was Barney Kessel

Last Edited by Goldbrick on May 14, 2016 6:30 AM
STME58
1689 posts
May 14, 2016
9:40 AM
There are still shows with music, even harp. This is from 2010 "The Office"


I have wondered if folks quick making music because so much good recorded music is availble and is not so portable, but the sucess of stores like Guitar Center indicates otherwise.
nacoran
9065 posts
May 14, 2016
1:50 PM
Goldbrick, featuring a stealth electric no less! An acoustic guitar that can play electric even when it's not plugged into an amp!

I know one of the big issues playing music in shows is copyright, especially since the rules are changing with TV on demand and episodes on YouTube. I know it took forever to get the rights to make DVDs of WKRP in Cincinnati, and one recent show that featured music, Glee, was constantly causing controversy by not securing copyright permissions. Several times they took under the radar musicians music, or at least their arrangements and used them without permision and then argued, 'Hey, stop complaining, we gave you exposure' (Without that critical component of exposure- including names in the credits!)

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Frank101
159 posts
May 14, 2016
2:34 PM
"Andy calls Barney's harp a 'French harp'."

Interesting. 1963 seems maybe a little bit late for that term, but I don't really know. Are people still calling it that?

PS - way more off topic, but by a youtube search it seems there are at least two professional Barney Fife impersonators around.
nacoran
9068 posts
May 14, 2016
3:51 PM
I wonder the origin of 'French Harp', since in its modern form harmonica is a German thing. I wonder if perhaps was renamed during the war periods, like Freedom Fries.

I have heard people making the distinction between folk 'harmonica' and blues 'harp'.

I once ran the word harmonica through Google translate for each language and made a list. I have it around here somewhere. It's interesting- Google search is language sensitive, so if you type in the Arabic word for harmonica you get mostly harmonica videos from the Middle East; in Chinese you get Chinese videos. It's a neat way to see what else is out there. There are a lot of great players, blues and otherwise in Asia, and I think one of my favorite was Iranian. There was a guy playing guitar and harp at the same time only he didn't have a rack, so he'd carefully stacked a pile of books on a table and inserted his harp between the pages of one of the top ones to hold it in place. I'm always amazed the ingenuity people use to solve problems.

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Frank101
161 posts
May 14, 2016
4:29 PM
"French harp" origin is uncertain (last time I checked). The leading theory seems to be that "French" in this context means "exotic/imported/foreign" kind of thing. Goes back to the 19th Century I think. But no harmonicas made in the US back then (right?) ... maybe "French harp" to distinguish it from "jawharp"???

Last Edited by Frank101 on May 14, 2016 4:31 PM
Albey
57 posts
May 16, 2016
1:24 PM
why is a harmonica called a french harp
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Thanks,
Albey Scholl
The Shadows
Blind Willies Blues Club
Atlanta, GA
groyster1
2859 posts
May 16, 2016
7:30 PM
have always wondered why harmonica is called harp....had always thought of harp as large stringed instrument...........
STME58
1698 posts
May 16, 2016
7:46 PM
The breadth and depth of the information on Pat Missin's site, linked to by Albey, is amazing. I bought his book, "How to Play Bawu and Hulusi" off his site because the book I got in China from the music store was in Chinese and I could read nothing but the music.

These instruments are obliquely related to the harmonica in that they have a reed and are diatonic. I have not tried them out on the goats yet.
nacoran
9071 posts
May 17, 2016
11:11 AM
Albey, nice link. Should have know Pat Missin would have gotten to the bottom of this a long time ago!

Why did it have to be goats? I have tons of sheep puns and only a couple goat ones 'this is really getting my goat' is too obvious.

I kid.

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
STME58
1700 posts
May 17, 2016
11:28 AM
Nate, I'm not sure weather to buck up, or to wether this, but if you have the doe, that would determine if there is to be any kidding!
1847
3435 posts
May 17, 2016
11:28 AM


never thought I'd fine this clip
Goldbrick
1455 posts
May 17, 2016
11:43 AM
Joe Seneca was a good songwriter too





and Andy could pick too

Last Edited by Goldbrick on May 17, 2016 11:45 AM
Frank101
163 posts
May 17, 2016
12:09 PM
Sounds almost kinda like what Frank101 said ...
1847
3436 posts
May 17, 2016
12:54 PM
Steamrollin Stan
867 posts
May 17, 2016
3:14 PM
skip to the 20:00


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