Frenchman Laurent Maur is one of the world's very best jazz harmonica players, and a top bloke. He visited me at my home in Canterubry to try out the DM48 Midi harmonica prototype I was given by the inventor, Sweden's Erik Lekholm. He sounded amazing from the off, and stayed up all night playing it! Here are some snippets:
This harmonica is so cool. Back in the late 60’s, when I was playing the clarinet in my high school band, my music teacher told me that there was an electronic devise that you could hook up to your clarinet that could make it sound like any instrument you wanted – a Trumpet, a French Horn, a Trombone – whatever. I don’t know what it was. I never pursued it, but it always stuck in my mind. The idea of being able to master one instrument and have it sound like anything you want. So along comes this. It is fantastic. I am on the waiting list. I can’t wait to get one and start having fun with it.
..... and I won't even have to make a custom comb for it! :) ---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Feb 22, 2017 8:05 PM
Heh heh... I'm sure some custom versions or add-ons will appear if/when it gains in popularity, as I believe it will.
I think we're witnessing a significant milestone - or more like a turning point - in the history of the harmonica here. Even now the DM48 is pretty awesome, and it's bound to get better quickly.
Though I never played any Midi instrument before I'm finding it quite addictive, and I think you and the other early-adopters will too. As the first owners share their stuff online more and more will be tempted in, probably competing models will emerge, and I think the Midi harmonica field will start to snowball.
If Erik or someone else can crack Midi emulation of embouchure-controlled pitch bending the blues harp guys will suddenly get very interested, but even without that pitch-bending can be added as a manual action. I'm currently working with an electronics boffin to hack mine for that ability, should have it working in a week or so. Seeing what keyboard players do with their pitch wheels inspired me to give it a try. It's different to harp bending but can be very soulful and effective with practice.
Where this new direction shakes out relative to traditional harmonica in the long term is an unknown, but I think Midi harp is going to grow and grow in the next 10 years for sure. Laurent's inspiring first exploration of the DM48 is just the top snowflake on the tip of an iceberg of new ideas and possibilities that will soon emerge. Exciting times!
