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Those magical harmonica sounds
Was out doing some errands this morning, and it’s always enjoyable with MLT music playing as I drive along. Was listening to the Duo Sessions II, and “Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma” came on, and I was captured by the brilliant harmonica. So crisp, rich sounding and wonderful. It evoked those beautiful feelings from the past of hearing my dad’s harmonica album by the Harmonicats when I was little, and Mona can do it just as good. In fact there are so many MLT songs with Mona’s wonderful harmonica.
https://youtu.be/Q39ZsVZKmh0?si=qmjw9ES7ZeDCf3rD
When does a harmonica become a blues harp and vice versa? 😜 I have a little Pocket Hoerner I like to play around on pretending to play like Mona, but only imagined in my mind of course.
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19 Replies
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It becomes a blues harp when John Popper plays it. 😀
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Hi Roger,
I’ll have to check out John Popper. It must be a very bluesy character of the music that makes the instrument used, referred to as a Blues Harp.
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Here’s a great example (no offense to Canada of course). But also the solos in things like “Runaround” and “Hook”
https://youtu.be/o4cylgK6iWw?si=o6Y-gdU-YXCA2cqn
youtu.be
John Popper of Blues Traveler plays the National Anthem on his Harmonica
Our editors came across something special in the footage from the upcoming Blues Traveler episode of Backline. John Popper displays his amazing harmonica ski...
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Thanks for posting that Roger. John Popper is amazing, and I’ve never seen that kind of amplifier on the harmonica like that before. He makes such amazing sounds from that little harmonica he has, I mean blues harp. He certainly is a master at it.
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I forget his name, but the front man for Blues Traveller honked a mean blues harp. They lost a band member a few years ago, not sure but their drummer maybe.
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Yeah, John Popper was the front man for Blues Traveler and he could really play that harmonica, one of the best. He did the theme for the Roseanne sitcom and appeared on the show at least once. I always loved their Carolina Blues tune.
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Tim
Great song, and wow that blues harp really howls. Some incredible playing. Thanks for posting this.
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I like a good blues harp when it sounds like a train. I think Mona makes it sound that way on Look What They’ve Done To My Song and a few others. My Dad didn’t play often but every now and then after supper he would play harmonica, especially if my brothers were playing guitars. A couple songs I remember him playing were called Little Brown Jug and one he called Who Stole The Lock Off The $#!thouse Door, Lol. I don’t know if he made that one up or not. That brings back a lot of memories of my Dad.
Ricky Medlocke started out playing for the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band before they made it big. He left and started the band called Blackfoot. Now days he again plays for the revamped version of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band Blackfoot had a couple hits called Highway Song and a song called Train, Train. On the song Train, Train there is some incredible blues harp played by Ricky Medlocke’s Grandfather. I think he was well into his 70’s at the time it was recorded. He gets the song rockin’ with the intro and does a smokin’ solo around 2:05 into the song.
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Tim
Your dad played harmonica! That must have been very special, and when you hear a good harmonica riff, does that remind you of your dad?
The train sound effect with the harmonica sounds pretty cool. Yeah, Mona does that sometimes too.
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Yeah my Dad played the harmonica, not often but he always kept it on the window ledge by where he always sat in the kitchen along with a jar of coins he used to play penny poker with us on Saturday nights. Sometimes if he lost his money in the poker game he would play the harmonica for us.
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That must have been fun playing poker with him and even greater when you got to beat him to hear his harmonica. Did you notice if he let you win intentionally, just so he could have an excuse to play for you?
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Jung, I have some great memories of those poker games, especially when we got a little older and could drink beer. My Mom didn’t allow alcohol in the house but on Saturdays my older Sister Mary would take my Mom to the laundry to wash all the clothes. While we helped carry the baskets of clothes out the front door, the beer was coming in the back door, Lol. Later when we seen Mary’s headlights come up the driveway the beer would go back out. The game usually died out shortly after that. Great times. The ones that weren’t playing poker were usually playing guitars in the living room.
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Great song Tim! The intro is good, but belies what comes out in the solo. That really cooks!
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There’s some great harmonica sounds in Neil Young’s beautiful gem.
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I like this one Jung. It’s the first Neil Young song I remember hearing. My brother had it on an 8 track tape he played in his Corvair station wagon. I thought Neil’s voice was strange but I liked the song and the blues harp. I like how all these old songs we share and the Twins play bring back the memories. I think Mona and Lisa would knock this one out of the park.
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Hi Tim
Yeah this would be my most favourite of Neil Young’s songs. Always used to stop and listen intently whenever I heard this song on the radio. Neil does have a very unique voice like Bob Dylan.
Oh yeah! 👍 I think Mona and Lisa could do some incredible magic with this one with their vocals.
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Jung, Yeah their vocals would really sound good on this song and I think Mona would have fun with the harmonica. Would be great for a Duo Session I think.
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Tim, good point, Mona could do her harmonica too! Would love to hear their interpretation of this one with their harmonies that would add another dimension to the song.
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There’s a lot of songs I would love to hear them cover but I try not to suggest any to them. I have found out that I like being surprised by their choices and many of their covers have been songs that I never thought that highly of like Everyody’s Talking but I love listening to it now with Mona and Lisa singing it.
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