As a child, I was given a Koch Violetta harmonica by my uncle who was the organist at our church. I guess that he hoped I would learn to play what looked like a simple instrument and maybe progress onto something bigger. I remember writing in a school essay that I’d play the harmonica when I grew up.
Well, time passed and I inherited my father’s piano accordion which he’d received for his 21st birthday in 1936 (A Hohner Carmen II.)
Recently, I recovered the old Violetta but sadly rust had rendered it unplayable.
So, I set out to recreate the joy of playing the harmonica. I can only say that, at the age of 69, it has been liberating.
I’m now collecting a few choice models to expand my repertoire and enjoy the restoration of classic instruments (another hobby of mine.) I’ll be asking questions and enjoying the fellowship of other Hohner players.
Thanks
David
Hi David
Welcome to this forum. Nice to hear that you’ve rediscovered the joy of playing harmonica! Which models do you play?
Feel free to ask here if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to assist.
Cheers
Steve
Thanks for the welcome. I don’t have a huge collection but I do have the following:
Hohner Sonny Boy (Made in England pre WW2)
Hohner Echo Elite (1930’s - in process of restoration)
Hohner Echo (1960’s - One of my favourites because of the two keys C/G)
Hohner Band C (Arguably pre-ww2 because of the star in the logo - it has a lovely tone)
Hohner Big River Harp C
Hohner SuperChromonica 260 1/2 C (I’ve set myself the task of learning to play the chromatic so I picked this up to learn.)
I also have a number of non-Hohner instruments…
Suzuki Folk Master C
“Serenade” “Blessing” “Hero” Tremolos
I do enjoy playing them all but I gravitate towards the rich sound of the Echo.
Cheers
David
:
Some nice old instruments there. If you want to learn the chrom it may make more sense to get a 270 or similar 12 hole model, as these have a full 3 octave range. The 260 is functionally the same but is missing the top 4 notes of the 3rd octave.
Wishing you an enjoyable voyage of discovery
Steve
The Chromatic that I have is a 260 1/2 (that’s two sixty and a half) which has 12 holes. I think it must have been an interim model between the 260 and 270 in the late 1920’s.
You may well be right about that, I overlooked the 1/2 in your post. If you seek information on older harmonica models, the German Harmonica Museum may be helpful:
Another useful address is www.patmissin.com
Pat is extremely knowledgeable and his website most informative.