Here's a live video from 1985 of a New Zealand group I was in called Acoustic Confusion. Aside from illustrating the benefits of coal shovelling on the waistline (my part-time job in those days), from a harmonica angle it features one of the custom 11 hole half-valved harps I was using in the 1980's (made from Hohner Special 20s).
It's played in 5th Position in this version of Power Regular-Breath Tuning, a precursor of the PowerBender. Here's a diagram on a C harp:
CD EG GB CD EF# GA AB CD EF# GA CB
I made the harps by combining two combs to make 11 holes. The blow plate was cut at hole 6 and moved along one hole, with another single-reed plate attached with BluTac at hole 7. I chopped the end off the draw reedplate and added another reed at hole 11.
I still have a collection of these old harps, primitively made but effective. You can see photos here:
Brendan, this is awesome. AND I have been trying to think all day of what industry in 1985 could possibly have employed people shoveling coal by hand. In 1985, I was a 10-year-old kid in a West Virginia coal mining family and I still can't figure it out. Best I can come up with was a steam train carrying New Zealand Civil War reenactors into battle. If it ain't that, I'm clueless. Where were you shoveling coal? ---------- David Elk River Harmonicas
