In a previous post I critiqued a YouTube vid by Harpmaster Jason Ricci in which he referred to out of the box Hohner harmonicas as "terrible" and a "waste of money." Based the Ricci's subsequent demonstration I found his assessment to be accurate. But a question from a reader convinced me that I had addressed the issue in a narrow and, for our purposes, wholly insufficient manner.
Here's what I neglected to mention: Accomplished harp players are like junkies. In the beginning just about anything will give you that buzz. After that it gets increasingly complicated. In fact, anyone that pursues a discipline to the point of obsession is by definition a junkie of sorts. This group includes anybody that has risen to the pinnacle of their prospective fields of endeavor. Robert De Niro, junkie. Bill Gates, junkie. Kelly Slater, junkie. And, yes, Jason Ricci, junkie.
You want proof? I've read that Slater can tell if one of his custom made surfboards is 1/16 inch out of spec. merely by holding it. In an apocryphal tale Ted Williams, while testing a new shipment of bats, announced that one of them was a half an ounce light. When weighed it turned out to be a half an ounce light. The point is that Slater, Williams and Ricci evaluate product quality with a level of precision that I can't even begin to comprehend. This is another case where something is true but not necessarily relevant. I'm going to continue to buy Hohner harmonicas with the confidence that they will serve my purposes admirably. And if I get one with a flatted 6 hole draw I'll learn how to fix it myself.
Here's what I neglected to mention: Accomplished harp players are like junkies. In the beginning just about anything will give you that buzz. After that it gets increasingly complicated. In fact, anyone that pursues a discipline to the point of obsession is by definition a junkie of sorts. This group includes anybody that has risen to the pinnacle of their prospective fields of endeavor. Robert De Niro, junkie. Bill Gates, junkie. Kelly Slater, junkie. And, yes, Jason Ricci, junkie.
You want proof? I've read that Slater can tell if one of his custom made surfboards is 1/16 inch out of spec. merely by holding it. In an apocryphal tale Ted Williams, while testing a new shipment of bats, announced that one of them was a half an ounce light. When weighed it turned out to be a half an ounce light. The point is that Slater, Williams and Ricci evaluate product quality with a level of precision that I can't even begin to comprehend. This is another case where something is true but not necessarily relevant. I'm going to continue to buy Hohner harmonicas with the confidence that they will serve my purposes admirably. And if I get one with a flatted 6 hole draw I'll learn how to fix it myself.
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