Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica

Subject: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From:
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 01:48 AM

There is a reasonably priced chromatic harmonica by HERING called the "Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic".

Does anyone know about it? How many holes? How does it sound (in your opinion?)

Thanks,

Murray

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: Art Thieme
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 02:43 PM

It's great to see Charlie is still around gigging. Must be a real survivor. I used to see him at Big Johns in Chicago with Mike Bloomfield on guitar and Silver Sid on bass and Elvin Bishop (I think) on 2nd guitar. A fine blues band that pre-dated Paul Butterfield's band (also with Bloomfield. Circa 1965--'66) It was the perfect time to be from Chicago !

But I know nothing about this harp. If you want to play blues, I don't think it's usually done on a chromatic harp---but I could be wrong.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From:
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 10:12 PM

Thanks Art.

I have a good collection of diatonic harps for blues. I am just interested in getting a chromatic one for playing tunes (and just playing around with.)

Murray

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: dr soul
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 11:26 PM

I can't answer any of your questions (how many holes, how does it sound) but I know that almost any chromatic is pretty pricey (at least $50-60). If you can get a reasonably priced one, it may be worth getting, just to see if you like it enough to upgrade.

Little Walter played blues on a chromatic, generally in third position, which makes good minor chords. Portland Oregon's Paul DeLay is (in my humble opinion) the current master of blues chromatic harmonica.

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: dr soul
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 11:28 PM

I can't answer any of your questions (how many holes, how does it sound) but I know that almost any chromatic is pretty pricey (at least $50-60). If you can get a reasonably priced one, it may be worth getting, just to see if you like it enough to upgrade.

Little Walter played blues on a chromatic, generally in third position, which makes good minor chords. Portland Oregon's Paul DeLay is (in my humble opinion) the current master of blues chromatic harmonica.

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 11:49 PM

G'day Murray,

I think you wil find that the Hering name has been dropped in favour of the surname of the bloke who bought the factory (in Brazil). I understand Herin were basically a toy factory, but they made bottom-of-the-line Hohner diatonics which occasionally appeared under Hohner's Hohner International branding. I have a couple of examples that came to Hohner's Australian concessionaire in the '70s - but were never imported as a sale item.

A few years back, Hering was bought by a keen young Brazilian businessman and he decided to drop the toy business and concentrate on the quality end of the harmonica line. I've seen local (Sydney, Australia - only 100 kilometres or so from Murray) literature from a Harmonica Club with ads and special prices.

They claim that they are better chromatics than Hohners and cheaper (well, they would, wouldn't they?). The photographs look somewhere between tradional Hohner design and the Chinese models influenced by Cham Ber Huang - particularly in the deeper lip block, ending in a narrower section and having round holes (a design I have always liked). I haven't heard one played and I don't know how well they would last.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 11:56 PM

Carlos Del Junco, the world renowned master of the blues harp plays Chromatics. Check out Carlosdeljunco.com

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: Abby Sale
Date: 12 Jul 01 - 08:27 PM

Art: And sometimes with Erwin Helfer on piano and/or Big Joe Williams singing. Oh, in lots of clubs, they were. Great stuff. I hung with them frequently. Pete Welding (he of Downbeat & Testament records) introduced me to them and nearly every blues man in the city. It was a hell of a kick watching the stares in upscale Carl Sandburg Village when Bloomfield in bare foot & full scruff would saunter through the lobby to his apartment - "What's HE doing here?" Charlie was suberb even then but looking more like Li'l Abner than the been-through-the-mill-looking blues man of many years later. I wish I'd had the opportunity to meet yerself back then. Good days, yes. I did get the chance to learn just a tad about blues.

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: GUEST,Lyrics
Date: 14 May 11 - 09:55 AM

Anybody know the lyrics to Musselwhite's Song "Fast Life Blues" I can get about 70% of them but the rest are slurred or slang I'm not familiar with. It is a short and sweet tune worth doing.

Thanks

Steve

Subject: RE: Help: Charlie Musselwhite Chromatic Harmonica
From: PHJim
Date: 11 May 15 - 03:19 PM

Steve Latimer,

I believe you are mistaken. Carlos plays mostly diatonic harps. He does do some tweeking on his harps, but I've never seen him use a Chromatic. He can play in 12 keys on the same diatonic harp by bending reeds.
Carlos sits in with our jug band and with my son's band quite often. He can make the mouth harp sound like a saxophone.