In the late XIXth century when the
diatonic harmonica was first invented,
it took the world by storm because it
was so cheap. It still is, and as such
it's the true instrument of the people.
I'm an amateur harmonica player myself
and I wanted to put this expo together
to highlight photos of people playing
harmonica, not professional musicians.
This is a collection of old and young,
rich and poor, but on all these faces
you can read the pleasure and emotion of
playing music with a little bit of metal
and wood...
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: This picture really moves me. It's a
beautiful picture in and of itself, but
it's also intense. You can feel how
"into it" this guy is. This is
the picture that prompted me to start
the expo.
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: There's a distinctive pleasure with
harmonica playing; it's the only
instrument - to my knowledge - that lets
you breathe in the music. The sparkle in
this boys eyes tells me he's discovering
that fun peculiarity!
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: Photos of harmonica players are often
photos of half-faces, so they really
work best when the eyes are expressive.
This old guy's eyes are lost in the
music. Isn't that something we all like
to experience?
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: The harmonica is one of those
instruments that had popular heroes
before the war (Borrah Minnevitch, Larry
Adler, etc.), after the war (Little
Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, etc.)
and still today. That's why you see old
people play the harmonica so often. It's
truly trans-generational.
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: There's something moving about this one,
like this man is seeking inspiration.
Very nice...
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: The expression on this man's face is
just amazing. Harmonica players breathe
through their instrument. Their music is
their life. And their eyes express all
they feel!
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: This one is a little different from the
rest of the set. Illustrates how the
harmonica can not only please people
from all walks of life but also be a
tool for seduction!!!
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: People tend to associate the harmonica
with only diatonics and chromatics, but
there's a whole variety of them. Chord
harmonicas are rarely played these days,
and it tends to be by people who
remember the golden days of harmonica
trios (chord, bass and chromatic).
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: The grain on this photo is magnificent.
For some reason I can't quite grasp, a
lot of harp players have beards. It's
counter-intuitive, because your beard
hair get stuck in the covers when you
play and it hurts like hell. I should
know...
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: Look at the concentration on that face!
Blowing into a single hole is no mean
feat for the beginner!
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: After a few years of playing harmonica,
you recognise the sound from far away.
Sometimes I'll walk around a pedestrian
area trying to locate the busker, and
quite often this is the kind of thing I
see when I finally get there...
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: In asian countries, the harmonica is
often taught in schools which is why a
lot more people there tend to be
proficient with the instrument. I don't
know where this photo was taken, but
it's the kind of scene I saw in Beijing
when I went there...
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: Children, when they first put a
harmonica in their mouths tend to play
it from the edge of their lips. The
sensation is so strange it can be
intimidating at first. But not to worry,
they will soon be eating their tin
sandwich!
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: Another bearded guy, but it's really his
eyes that grabbed me here...
sammael99 (75k+ views) says: I'm not sure if this guy is a pro or
not, but of course it's hard to think
about harmonica and not think about
blues. I love this picture, it smells of
blues!
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Comments on this gallery
virgmck (30 months ago )
These are fantastic. Thanks
virgmck';'
Angela Freed (30 months ago )
nice collection that I'm honored to be a part of.
Mindstormphotos (30 months ago )
thank you for adding my photo to the gallery
beautiful !!!
Stéphan Robert (29 months ago )
Nice idea...
alejuss (29 months ago )
Oh, great idea!! I love the harp!