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From: "Mahdyiar"
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 15:56:13 -0700
Subject: A better design of mouth piece will help players

I am a new comer to the world of harmonica and for that matter to the world
of music. I am a humble seismologist discovering the beauty of harmonica
and guitar.
About a year ago, I started learning guitar and in the process, somehow, I
discovered harmonica and am hooked.
Now, after all that BS, I have a question and a comment.
Question:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of 4-octaves over 3-octaves
harmonicas, besides the fact that you have an extra octave to work with.
In what way, 3-octaves harmonicas limit a player.
Comment
I have a design suggestion for the mouth piece. Since I have started
learning harmonica, I have found myself lost on Hohner 270 and Hering 501/48
harmonicas trying to find different notes on different octaves. I am sure
that in time, like every body else, I will learn what is where. However,
recently, I did an experiment putting little stickers on the mouth piece to
identify the begining of C-octave. I was amazed how, in a matter of
minutes, the accuracy of my playing improved drastically. I was able to
play
rather complex music and concentrate more on my sharps and flats rather than
trying to find the notes. Considering that guitar and piano both have ways
of identifying the fret board and key board, it seems logical to expect the
same from harmonica. The hole numbers on the side of harmonica are useless.
You do not see them to begin with and specially, you do not see them when
you are playing.
I believe that manufacturers could easily design moth pieces for 12 and 16
holes with little bumps in front of say C, for C-harps, so that players can
identify the notes. The bumps can be small, similar to Braille symbols, so
that they do not interfere with the playing. I am sure, this will help
players, specially new comers like myself.
Any body cares to comment!!

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