Author: The Good Doctor

Harp Tips 

1st Position Blues Harp – An Introduction (Part 1)

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Harps and Guitar 1A guide to straight blues harping

No force, however great, can stretch a cord, however fine, into a horizontal line which is accurately straight. Elementary Treatise On Mechanics (William Whewell)

The classic blues harmonica journey starts with a crusade to the Holy Shrine of cross harp. Whereupon, straight harp (normally in the guise of Oh Susannah) is swiftly abandoned. Drunk on the glories of success, and soon lavishly equipped with assault amplifiers and bullet microphones, the crusade continues.

New techniques are won – including tongue blocking, vibrato, blow bends and third position blues – before a dark specter looms like a cloud on the horizon; the ghost of first position past. It’s been neglected for too long and now it’s broken our serenity, and it’s raining torment. Here’s how to make amends…

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Interviews 

Mitt Gamon Interview – Part 1

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Strawberrieds and Cream iIt was a humid summer’s day. Beyond the duck pond, the Rear Admiral’s mower muttered to itself and occasionally spat stones at his prizewinning parade of pink floribunda. Next to the Tickled Trout, a canopy of elder flowers floated in the warm breeze, while hover flies patrolled the cow parsley below, pretending to be bees. In the harp surgery kitchen, the Good Doctor was preparing cordials and halving strawberries for afternoon tea. He flourished sugar across the fruit from a shallow silver spoon. ‘How many songbirds fly to and fro, in an English country ga-ar… what the?’ A manilla envelope boomeranged through the window, clipped his ear and skidded to a halt on the kitchen table. The sugar spoon fell to the floor.

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Harp Tab How Do They Do That? 

Norton Buffalo Navigates Four Key Changes

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Norton & BonnieDo not pass GO
Greasy Rob, Otis the mailman, Stomping Stu and the Doc were deeply engrossed in a Friday night game of Monopoly. A pot of Rington’s Tea steamed away beside Otis, the evening’s banker and custodian of a premium biscuit assortment. Otis had hotels on the green home straight, Rob had all four railway stations, and the Doc had a strong collection of reds and pinks.

Stu, meanwhile, was on skid row. “I’d have more luck playing Bonopoly’, he grumbled. ‘What on earth is that?’, quizzed the Doc. ‘Same as Monopoly, but the streets have no name,’ replied Stu, preparing to mortgage his Water Works. (more…)

Announcements Reviews - Harps 

Hohner PentaHarp

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The harp beginner’s and guitarist’s new friend
The PentaHarp has finally reached the UK and we have been busy putting it through its paces. With an attractive electric blue ABS comb, the PentaHarp is essentially a special tuning in a Special 20 shell. An addition to Hohner’s Progressive Series, it comes in a sturdy flip-top box and is packaged in an eye catching outer carton featuring Nashville singer song-writer, Payton Taylor. The packaging explains:


“The PentaHarp simplifies the harmonica by giving players easy access to one of the most useful scales in rock and blues music without the need for advanced techniques. The tonal layout is the Blues Scale, which is a Minor Pentatonic scale with the added ‘blue’ note. Create expressive melodies and solos quickly and easily, and never play a wrong note!”

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Announcements 

Harmonica Lesson Gift Vouchers

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Birthday VoucherSimple Gifts
If you need a special Christmas or Birthday gift for your aspiring harmonica player, look no further. Whether it’s for a particular occasion or just for fun, everyone enjoys a special surprise. Pay for the lesson in advance and we will email you a Harp Surgery gift voucher.

Need a harmonica too?
We can supply you with a harmonica to help get things underway too. Visit our harmonica store page and select the best harp for your budget. If you’re unsure which one to go for, email us and we’ll be happy to lend some advice.

Harmonica Gift Cards
If you need a card to go with the voucher, let us know and we’ll mail one to you.

Price list
Christmas VoucherLesson prices are on our lessons page (Services Menu). You can opt for private 1:1 lessons here at the Harp Surgery, or a virtual lesson on Zoom. Lessons are 1 hour. If you’d like a course of lessons, a discounted rate is available and we can customise your voucher accordingly.

Terms and conditions
Your first lesson must be taken within 6 months of the date of purchase. Remaining lessons must be used at a rate of one (or more) per consecutive month thereafter. For faster development we recommend booking lessons at fortnightly or weekly intervals. We regret that vouchers are non-refundable.

Reviews - Harps 

NEUMA Harmonica 10 Blues

The Good Doctor 1 Comment

Putting your money where your mouth is

For a budget conscious harmonica shopper, there is an ever increasing range of cheap harmonicas available online. By budget we mean under £25.00 GBP/$35.00 USD. While the price may be attractive, there’s one home truth that cannot be denied: buy cheap, buy twice. A clean cut web page, some impressive blurb and a few sharp images can make any harp look great, but don’t be fooled.

Read the reviews and remember you’re more interested in how the harp sounds and plays than how great it looks. We’d also advise against buying used harps and grandpa’s cast-offs. Unless they’re for your personal museum collection, or you’re adept at restoration projects, these are best avoided too. (more…)