Andrew
871 posts
Feb 04, 2010
2:07 PM
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How do you mark your harps so you don't accidentally hold hem upside down when you're playing on stage in the dark?
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Kinda hot in these rhinos!
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Nastyolddog
176 posts
Feb 04, 2010
2:25 PM
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Bro i don't every thing has it's place i have my Harmonicas in order in my case A.Bb.C.D.E.F.G no need to bumble around on stage in the dark i know what key to pick strait away,,and after playing one key i put it back in its Place to easy..I seen heaps of unorganised Players make gooses of them self onstage and it looks much more Profesional if you just Grab a harp start Playing,,instead of jumping of stage to look under the light to see what harmonica they have,,there is a fellow Harmonicist i know who has a table lamp i asked him one night when i first saw him what the lamp was for he said so he could see what key he was picking up i said cool idea walked away had a little Laugh to myself..
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tookatooka
1158 posts
Feb 04, 2010
3:18 PM
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Andrew, You could get some of those self adhesive drawer buffers. They are clear plastic domes about 6mm diameter which you can use for putting on the underside of ornaments etc to stop scratching furniture. If you stuck one on the left side of your harp at the back you could feel for it before playing. They would be quite small and tactile.
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Aussiesucker
535 posts
Feb 04, 2010
3:39 PM
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Use Lee Oskars as they come with their own braille for the lips!
Nasty's suggestions are spot on ie everything in order and in the right place ie in a case or belt.
Tooka's idea is good but does not give a clue to which key.
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The7thDave
24 posts
Feb 04, 2010
5:01 PM
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I file a little notch on the bottom edge of the right end.
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nacoran
1028 posts
Feb 04, 2010
8:35 PM
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It's actually easier on cheaper harps with the square nuts on the bottom! You could use some florescent paint to mark them, or, there is this product from turbo harps:
Turbo Harps
Or there is this, courtesy of Failblog:
(Warning- quite possibly offensive material)
Failblog
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nacoran
1038 posts
Feb 05, 2010
8:07 PM
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Nasty- I tend to organize my harmonicas alphabetically just out of habit, but I have on occasion organized them by the circle of fifths, particularly if I'm going down a list of songs to key them.
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Andrew
874 posts
Feb 05, 2010
11:09 PM
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Yeah, but all I'm interested in is are they the right way up or are they upside down? In other words, how often have you given a mighty 1,2,3 draw only to find you've accidentally done an 8,9,10 draw?
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Kinda hot in these rhinos!
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Nastyolddog
186 posts
Feb 06, 2010
3:20 AM
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Hi Bro yes my Harps are allways right side up i run a flate LOsk soft case,,What i Do to identify wich way is up is First i Take the harmonica,,Hold it in my Hand up levale with my Line of sight,,i observe it yes it is up the right way i then put it in the case right side up,,repeating 6 times now when i take 1 Harmonica out it will be right side up when held to my lips,,when finished playing i repeat the steps in reverse take away from lips it's still the right way up i then return it to it's case every thing in it's Place..Ps this is my method and works for me there may be other ways of doing it I'm sure 1 of the Brothers or Sisters may be Able to help with another Tech Tip..
Last Edited by on Feb 06, 2010 3:25 AM
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toddlgreene
734 posts
Feb 06, 2010
9:11 AM
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I put a decal of the key on the top cover plate only . If I don't see a decal, it's upside down.
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Todd L. Greene, V.P.
Last Edited by on Feb 06, 2010 9:11 AM
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nacoran
1042 posts
Feb 06, 2010
11:05 AM
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Andrew, like I said, depending on the harp, some you can figure out in the dark. Lee Oskar's numbers heavy enough so you can feel for them in the dark. A bunch of the cheaper harps that use the screw and little square nut you can tell which way is up on. Toddle's idea would work. The Turbo lid decals seem to be out of stock, but you put them on the same end and they light up, plus you can just feel for the decal. Actually, any harp that I keep clean I can tell apart in the dark by the small markings, except maybe my Seydel.
If you got Turboharp lids, then it would be virtually impossible to mess up, since they are shaped differently at both ends. There are a couple forum members who swear by them for sound too, although they only fit certain model harps. They are also apparently really useful for testing harps you are repairing since they go on quickly.
You could also rig a little light into your harp case. It wouldn't have to be real bright to illuminating your harps enough to tell which end. There are also more colorful combs you can get or paints you can use on the back to make one end stand out.
And if that's not enough, you could get yourself a ferrous ring. Then get a bunch of those strip magnets. Cut them the right size to fit on the end of the harmonica and stick one on the same end of each harmonica. You could tell by magnetic touch which end you had, although I'd test them near a mic before I did that. You never know with magnets. It might create a hideous noise, or maybe you'll revolutionize harmonica hand techniques.
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