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In The Know (13)
Posted by: Jonathan Miller on 20th Jul 2010 in In The Know
Our occasional series where great design objects are described by those who know them best; their owners.
Jonathan Miller, of Alembic shows us something for which (as yet) there isn't a USB version of...
What is it? The Marine Band harmonica
Tell me more... The harmonica was first mass-manufactured by German former clock-makers Matthias Hohner & Co., and still is. An ‘orchestra in your pocket’ – it was the 19th century iPod. The Marine Band diatonic harmonica conforms to the classic structure: two brass reedplates fixed (with nails!) to a central 10-airhole wooden ‘comb’ with two stainless steel formed coverplates.
The harmonica commands little respect. Despite high-end heroics of Larry Adler to reveal it as a fully capable musical tool, at the low end is the folk song tradition of punctuating sparse arrangements with harmonica ‘solos’, as typified by Bob Dylan. Great songs/singing, but his harmonica’s asthmatic squall is always a torment.
It was the Chicago bluesmen of the 1950s, especially ‘blues harp’ innovators like Little Walter, who really uncovered the instrument’s expressive potential, using it in conjunction with microphones and amplification for the first time. The Hohner Marine Band, designed for greater volume, was their weapon of choice – and combined with overdriven amplification, it became another instrument entirely. Fans of HBO’s The Wire may recognise this gritty sound in The Blind Boys of Alabama’s version of Tom Waits’ ‘Way Down in the Hole’.
Why did you buy it? When all around me were learning guitar (yawn) this was the first instrument I attempted to master, having the attractive virtues of a) simplicity and b) inexpensiveness.
About its looks? It fits in the hand perfectly, unintentionally allowing just enough room for spare fingers to clasp a microphone simultaneously. It has tremendous visual charm: the warmth of the wood & brass; the coverplate engravings: prize medals (Vienna, Stuttgart, Ulm, Philadelphia); hole numbers; ‘A440’ (Hz); the M. Hohner signature and (curiously Simpsons-like) portrait of himself on the reverse.
Technical advantages? Portable and near-impossible to break, it can be dropped and sat on, without necessarily losing the tuning (they usually sound better once they have ‘lived a little’). As yet no USB version.
Emotional appeal? Its appeal goes beyond retro to antique. Musically its sound may be an acquired taste, but expert blues harp playing can match the emotional appeal and richness of tone (if not the virtuosity) of the saxophone, and has a trace of the pedal-steel guitar’s plangent wail.
Could it be improved? ‘Blues harp’ players took to soaking it in beer (or spirits at the better-paid gigs). This expanded the wood, effectively reducing the size of the holes, making individual notes a little easier to control. Otherwise the basic form is largely unchanged in nearly 200 years, and design detail has altered little since WWII. Ergonomic analysis and modern materials could improve performance, but only at the expense of its old-tech charm. They come in a nasty plastic box now, though – it deserves better…
Not recommended for... Robert Zimmerman. Those with loose teeth or persistent chapped lips.
Check Little Walter in action here.
Posted by: Jonathan Miller on 20th Jul 2010 in In The Know
Our occasional series where great design objects are described by those who know them best; their owners.
Jonathan Miller, of Alembic shows us something for which (as yet) there isn't a USB version of...
What is it? The Marine Band harmonica
Tell me more... The harmonica was first mass-manufactured by German former clock-makers Matthias Hohner & Co., and still is. An ‘orchestra in your pocket’ – it was the 19th century iPod. The Marine Band diatonic harmonica conforms to the classic structure: two brass reedplates fixed (with nails!) to a central 10-airhole wooden ‘comb’ with two stainless steel formed coverplates.
The harmonica commands little respect. Despite high-end heroics of Larry Adler to reveal it as a fully capable musical tool, at the low end is the folk song tradition of punctuating sparse arrangements with harmonica ‘solos’, as typified by Bob Dylan. Great songs/singing, but his harmonica’s asthmatic squall is always a torment.
It was the Chicago bluesmen of the 1950s, especially ‘blues harp’ innovators like Little Walter, who really uncovered the instrument’s expressive potential, using it in conjunction with microphones and amplification for the first time. The Hohner Marine Band, designed for greater volume, was their weapon of choice – and combined with overdriven amplification, it became another instrument entirely. Fans of HBO’s The Wire may recognise this gritty sound in The Blind Boys of Alabama’s version of Tom Waits’ ‘Way Down in the Hole’.
Why did you buy it? When all around me were learning guitar (yawn) this was the first instrument I attempted to master, having the attractive virtues of a) simplicity and b) inexpensiveness.
About its looks? It fits in the hand perfectly, unintentionally allowing just enough room for spare fingers to clasp a microphone simultaneously. It has tremendous visual charm: the warmth of the wood & brass; the coverplate engravings: prize medals (Vienna, Stuttgart, Ulm, Philadelphia); hole numbers; ‘A440’ (Hz); the M. Hohner signature and (curiously Simpsons-like) portrait of himself on the reverse.
Technical advantages? Portable and near-impossible to break, it can be dropped and sat on, without necessarily losing the tuning (they usually sound better once they have ‘lived a little’). As yet no USB version.
Emotional appeal? Its appeal goes beyond retro to antique. Musically its sound may be an acquired taste, but expert blues harp playing can match the emotional appeal and richness of tone (if not the virtuosity) of the saxophone, and has a trace of the pedal-steel guitar’s plangent wail.
Could it be improved? ‘Blues harp’ players took to soaking it in beer (or spirits at the better-paid gigs). This expanded the wood, effectively reducing the size of the holes, making individual notes a little easier to control. Otherwise the basic form is largely unchanged in nearly 200 years, and design detail has altered little since WWII. Ergonomic analysis and modern materials could improve performance, but only at the expense of its old-tech charm. They come in a nasty plastic box now, though – it deserves better…
Not recommended for... Robert Zimmerman. Those with loose teeth or persistent chapped lips.
Check Little Walter in action here.
Comments
Posted by Ed on 20th Jul 2010 11:28 AM
My own listening recommendations are too many to list, but for harp blowing that really sends shivers down your spine try:
1. Gimme Dat Harp Boy by Captain Beefheart
2. Wine, Women and Whiskey by Papa Lightfoot.
Agree with you about Dylan - too much straight playing and not enough making the thing talk - like the bluesmen.
My own listening recommendations are too many to list, but for harp blowing that really sends shivers down your spine try:
1. Gimme Dat Harp Boy by Captain Beefheart
2. Wine, Women and Whiskey by Papa Lightfoot.
Agree with you about Dylan - too much straight playing and not enough making the thing talk - like the bluesmen.
Posted by Conno on 20th Jul 2010 02:24 PM
Image: Andres Serrano's "Piss Harmonica"
Image: Andres Serrano's "Piss Harmonica"
Posted by Daniel on 21st Jul 2010 11:47 AM
Great stuff, I want one!
See also: 'Lost John' by Sonny Terry...
Great stuff, I want one!
See also: 'Lost John' by Sonny Terry...
