Nashvegas
1 post
Feb 14, 2017
1:58 PM
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Hey, everyone. I've been lurking for a couple weeks since I picked up the harp. 54 years old and tried to learn harp many years ago before YouTube and struggled. Now it's so much more enjoyable with all the free video lessons all over the place. Having a blast. Hoping to get good enough to play in public one day. Long way to go. ;-)
Funny story. I had a C Special 20 and have been learning on that but I really wanted to play Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" so I found a used Lee Oskar G harp in a store and took it home to start learning the song. But every time I played along with the song, it sounded wrong. I then played it on my C harp and thought "Gee. Either I'm completely tone deaf or this G and C harmonica sound exactly the same note for note." I ordered a cheap Folkmaster in G from Amazon just to see if I really am tone deaf. Well, apparently I'm not because this Folkmaster really is in G and the notes finally sound right. Pretty funny. Anyone ever had a mislabeled harp? This Oskar clearly has key of G painted on it.
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outdoor joe
37 posts
Feb 14, 2017
2:11 PM
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Hey Vegas!
I am pretty new to the harp as well. I just started in January. I too love Neil and recently learned how to play Heart of Gold!
I have only two harps and both are labled properly haha.
Hope to see/hear some of your stuff soon!
Joe
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Glass Harp Full
167 posts
Feb 14, 2017
2:26 PM
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Hi Nashvegas and welcome to the forum!
I've never had a mislabeled harp but I have found Lee Oskars to be a bit unreliable. The two I've had only lasted a couple of weeks before going flat. They have a reputation for being long lasting and some people on this forum love them, but I haven't had a positive experience with them.
They're also tuned differently so the chords don't sound quite right. As a Neil Young fan myself, I've found they're not the best harps for playing his stuff which has a lot of chords and double stops (two notes played at the same time).
Good luck with it!
Last Edited by Glass Harp Full on Feb 14, 2017 2:28 PM
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MindTheGap
2117 posts
Feb 14, 2017
2:36 PM
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Hi and Welcome also! That must have been disconcerting.
A possible explanation, however far fetched :) my Lee Oskars have a key stamped at each end. One says e.g. 1st C and the other says 2nd G. i.e. 1st position is the key of C, 2nd is the key of G. What if the paint was rubbed off one end?
Lee Oskars, I won't hear a word against them! :)
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Killa_Hertz
2219 posts
Feb 14, 2017
3:53 PM
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Welcome NashVegas!
Exactly my thoughts mtg. The labeling on the lee oskars are funny. Very easy for someone to read G 2nd and assume.
Or even for the packager in the plant to see G 2nd and throw it into a G case.
Either way Nash i would attempt to return it where u bought it and see if they will get you a proper G.
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Nashvegas
2 posts
Feb 14, 2017
7:47 PM
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Thanks for the welcomes! As for the paint, I don't think there was an issue. This harp looks brand new so I don't think any paint would have rubbed off, and one one end it says MM (for Melody Maker I guess) and the other end says G. I'm not too worried about it. I don't mind having a second C harp. ;-)
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SuperBee
4507 posts
Feb 14, 2017
8:12 PM
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Yeah Melody Maker harps are labelled in 2nd position because they are designed to be played in 2nd.
The 3 blow on your MM harp is an A. On your normal 'richter' tuned C harp, it is a G. The MM has both the 5 and 9 draw raised a half step, so it's F sharp on your harp, whereas on a standard C harp it's F.
These are neat harps but made specifically to play from the point of view that 2nd position is the starting approach. Thus even though most of the harp is tuned like a C harp, the manufacturer considers it is more meaningful to consider its a G harp.
This is all good except to play Heart of Gold you want a standard G harp. Which you also have so that's all good
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Nashvegas
3 posts
Feb 14, 2017
10:03 PM
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Super bee, thanks for that explanation!
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MindTheGap
2119 posts
Feb 14, 2017
11:02 PM
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Ah ha, case solved!
If you want really nice sounding chords, you need that Just Intonation. As discussed on the Main Forum just recently, you can buy a ready made one in the form of 'Sonnyboys's Mojo' from Ben Hewlett (or the company he is associated with, not sure) in the UK.
People are often talking about and demoing harps sounding different (combs, covers and suchlike) I usually can't hear it myself. But the Just Intonation vs The Others is one I definitely CAN hear. It's sweet chords vs jangly chords.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Feb 14, 2017 11:03 PM
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ScottK
21 posts
Feb 15, 2017
4:14 AM
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Hey Nash, I used Lee Oscars playing Heart of Gold a lot back in the day and I'm about the same age as you. Last summer I was trying to choose a Neil Young song to add to my covers that I could play if needed and re-learned some songs I hadn't played in a while. Had trouble singing Heart of Gold (not playing though) but comes a time made it back. Always love long may you run and cripple creek ferry too....
Last Edited by ScottK on Feb 15, 2017 4:26 AM
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outdoor joe
38 posts
Feb 15, 2017
8:40 AM
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@ScottK, Neil Young is one of my top 5 favorite musicians. I got to see him play for my first time last year, suuuuuper good time. I am always practicing his stuff!
joe
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ScottK
22 posts
Feb 15, 2017
9:22 AM
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Nice, I saw him 3 times on his Trans tour back in 83 or 84 when he was doing electronically sounding stuff and then a acoustic set after, and once solo acoustic and I walked up to the stage taking photos -if I could only find them- and sometime in the 90s when he headlined the Horde tour with crazy horse.
Last Edited by ScottK on Feb 15, 2017 9:47 AM
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SuperBee
4513 posts
Feb 15, 2017
1:13 PM
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I saw him around 88 or 89 on the Lost Dogs tour. I actually just know it was late 80s. Lots of people walked out and complained he was too loud etc.
I liked it.
He played an acoustic set, you know, all that MOR stuff from the 70s, Harvest, Comes a Time. That's what the local audience wanted. But he really didn't seem that into it.
Some heckler annoyed him while he was tuning or getting his rack adjusted, I couldn't really see, but I heard someone call 'hurry up' and his reply "don't tell me to hurry up. I've been doing this too long to hurry up".
The acoustic set lasted just under 30 minutes then he came back with the band and invented grunge rock and people began walking out.
I always liked Neil Young, but I never really aspired to play harp that way, despite having an interest in what he was doing with it. Don't get me wrong, I think he plays just fine in the context of his songs.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Feb 15, 2017 1:14 PM
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