Harmonica

My brother taught me to play Oh Susanna when I was about nine.

It's still the only thing I can play

I can play Jingle Bells and Frere Jacques! - hooray!

Our family used to have one when I was young. I could never get the hang of it though.

Did you have to take your own harmonica, Luckygirl?

With all that sucking and blowing I'm not sure I'd want to share with somebody else's six year old.

We were each issued with a very basic harmonica as part of the course fee; and a worksheet. My DGS is proud as punch with his!

I may try and get myself a slightly more sophisticated item.

DH has reminded me of a barbecue we went to about ten years ago that lasted well into the early hours. A couple of the guests had arrived with their guitars and started playing and singing Bob Dylan songs. Apparently I picked up their harmonica and joined in with 'Catch The Wind'.

I'd had so much I don't really remember much about it - probably made a fearful racket.

What a smashing way to spend an afternoon with a six year old lucky girl. My grandson got a ukelele for Christmas, he plays guitar. I love harmonica's - maybe I'll get one for him.

There are lots of online tutorials and books on the harmonica. Most of them are based on a 10 note diatonic harmonica in the key of C, so if you want to buy him one, then that is the one to go for. That is what most people start with; then they accumulate a set of them in different keys.

I am such an expert now .

My DH can make a fair go of it. He spent many years in the Royal Navy and that's where he learned/taught himself. No doubt his initial attempts were 'well oiled'.

My father and his sister were both quite good players. In fact I have a silver cup won by him in the 1920's. I have no idea where the interest came from but they were a poor family born in 1900 and approx 1908 so I suppose the instruments were cheap and I am sure they would both be self taught.

Seems a fitting place to ask folks to remember Harry Pitch who has just died. Who was Harry? Well, every time you watched 'Last of the Summer Wine', that was Harry's plaintive harmonica you heard, with Ronnie Hazlehurst and the orchestra. That was Harry on the pop version of 'I Remember You' as well. . RIP Harry...

RIP indeed.

Thanks for telling us, feetle. I hadn't heard of Harry Pitch but remember the signature tune to 'Last of the Summer Wine' and the refrain in Frank Ifield's version of 'I Remember You.'

RIP

And Larry Adler was stunning - a real musician and virtuoso. I just need to get past Jingle Bells!

I taught myself when I was about 11 years old. I also play a guitar so used to have one of those contraptions that look like a neck brace thinking I was a sort of 'one man band'. My father plays too so when I was young we used to play 100 Pipers in rounds and my mother used to leave the house and go to the neighbours as she could not bear it.

@Matella - couldn't help laughing at your poor mother's desperate flight from the 100 Pipers! In our house it was 'When the Saints Go Marching In', rendered (limb from limb?) by Dad on trumpet and me on clarinet. The more we went at it the faster she would beat her cake mixture...

Matella and feetle

@Luckygirl - I think some of his finest work was the score for the great film 'Genevieve' - as iconic as the Anton Karas zither in The Third Man.

Only Mr Adler had no time for the term 'harmonica' - he said it was a mouth organ, and I suppose he should have known.

A nice obituary for Harry in yesterday's Telegraph.

@Luckygirl - And according to the DT's obituary, It was Harry that played Summertime at Larry Adler's funeral. Aw!