Harmonica v Application
Wed, 08/24/2022 - 15:03
Interesting. I just purchased a Rocket Low C which I like. The Hohner packaging that it came in, i.e. the underside of the box identifies Progressive for Country, Pop, jazz. Marine band is mostly Blues. MS-Series blues, pop, and Country, and then the Enthusiast which is a mix. Is this purely marketing? Progressive is not Blues Application?
You might ask the same question in the "Ask Harmonica Expert Winslow Yerxa" section of the Forum, to get his interesting take.
My take: It's all music. And notes are notes. The genre labeling by Hohner is purely a marketing gimmick. But then, who wouldn't want to buy a whole bunch of different types of harps?
One exception might (and I add might) be when it comes to tuning. E.g., Hohner's Golden Melody is tuned to equal temperament, i.e., mathmatically correct pitches, where other harps have various types of compromise tuning. Compromising makes chords sound better, where the Golden Melody is supposedly recommended for single-note applications. But there are lots of blues players who swear by the Golden Melody.
The bottom line: Various models with various comb materials, slighly different hole shapes, "sandwich" vs. recessed reed-plate comb constrution, different cover shapes, phosphor-bronze vs. stainless steel reeds, etc., each feel and sound every-so-slightly different. If a certain model works for you, and you play blues, that model is YOUR best-for-blues harp!
And finally, I agree with you that the Rocket Lows are really great. I have a Rocket Low F that I absolutely love.