microtonal harmonica (blues harp)

My friend Wendy Mae Chambers just gave me a new harmonica (otherwise
known as a "blues harp") for my birthday. I used to own and play a
harmonica somewhat, but I had never experimented with the *bending*
capacity of the instrument.

Along with the instrument came a "nifty" book on how to play blues
harmonica by Bobby Joe Holman. This is a terrific book since it not
only outlines in "real" music notation the range and capabilities of
the harmonica but all the pitches that can be *bent* and the various
ranges for each.

Some pitches (they're not all equal in this capacity) can be bent up
or down as far as 1 1/2 steps. That takes some practice. I found
that bending 1/2 step, though, is *very* easy, so anything even less
than that is easier still, though there must be some *control* to do
this.

It might be nice to "spruce up" a nice chamber piece with a "blues
harp" (otherwise known as an harmonica). Lets say maybe cello,
violin and harmonica, where all three instruments are playing
microtones.

A near future project, definitely.

Joe "Harpman" Pehrson