Which flash drive will be collectible 15 to 16 years from now?

Oh, they're going to be collectible, that's for sure. But not just any flash drive will do.  Beyond designiness, the collectible will need to demonstrate uniqueness and rarity. An authentic dual purpose will be nice, too. Most of all, artfulness, utility, craftsmanship and relevant content will be sought. All of which you find in the folksy old FlashHarp®. Jus' sayin'. See you in the future!

A Funny Thing Happened To The Harmonica On Its Way To The Heart Of The American Sound

In 1862, the harmonica came to the U.S and began a unique musical journey, starting out from the lowest of places--the fields, farms and plains. Turns out, tho, the harmonica had a Fearsome Foursome rooting for it from the start: Quality, Novelty, Portability and Price. These traits inspired broad trial. And trial soon led to experimentation. As a result, the new way of playing that's now called "crossharp" was born. (Crossharp is that style of play in which the 2 hole "draw" becomes the tonal center instead of the 1-, 4- and 7-hole "blows;" it's notorious for that "bent" bluesy sound.)

 As crossharp took hold, the harmonica's status as an instrument climbed. In the 1940s, the hand-held microphone was added for amplification. The loud-sobbing nightclub sound further propelled its legitimacy and popularity.

Around its 100-year anniversary, the harmonica found itself in demand. Blues harmonica soloists were needed to meet that demand, and soon market structures had become established to support the little rebel with the soulful, urban sound.

Meanwhile, the rebel Bob Dylan was carving out his own artistic and economic niche.

Dylan marks an interesting aberration in the harmonica's evolution. Because crossharp harmonica playing had become so prevalent by then, Dylan, for aesthetic reasons, intentionally sidestepped the crossharp path, deciding instead to play the harmonica straight. Though seemingly a step backwards for the instrument, a new pathway was ultimately created. Call this re-emergent "folksy" sound the "Roots" or "Americana" path.

Another important discovery emerged around the late 70s--"overblowing." By doing just that, a skilled player found he or she could "hit" previously missing notes on the basic 10-holed, Richter-tuned harmonica. In the right hands, the diatonic harmonica today can be played fully chromatically.

 Amazing!

This raises the question, though. What exactly are the "right" hands for the harmonica?

Rebels feel illegitimate when they achieve legitimacy. 
Along the course of its journey, the instrument seems to have become the tool of an "establishment," an establishment replete with elite artists,"publics," professional go-betweens, educators, publishers and promoters. In its transformation to a formal, serious, legitimate musical instrument, the harmonica has lost something vital; namely, its novelty. And this has cost it a large portion of its mass appeal.

The little musical rebel that marched up out of the marsh now appears positioned for a fate worse than obscurity; call it irrelevance. That is, unless something new its way comes...

Indeed, something new is needed, and now, to revive the harmonica's status as an instrument of the people.

This is where the FlashHarp® harmonica USB comes in... 
Certainly, with the addition of flash memory, the harmonica's novelty status is instantly reinvigorated. Trial, too, is encouraged, and not just among accomplished players and an existing following of "harmonica snobs" in biker garb; but among new players, players from unrelated areas--some musical, some not.

In a way, ironically, the higher-tech FlashHarp harmonica USB returns the instrument to the magical "hobo campground" where its journey originated--where nobody prejudged it or expected anything in particular from it, at all. The harmonica USB reactivates the Fearsome Foursome of Quality, Novelty, Price and Portability. And this time, the instrument's novelty aspect is upgraded to include something as valuable as music itself: usefulness.

WGN's Own Plays FlashHarp On-Air!

We interrupt normal blog posting to bring you this news story. WGN's own Steve Sanders was seen playing the FlashHarp® harmonica USB flash drive (very well, I might add) on his noon newscast today. Lindsay Roberts on the WGN-TV Midday News - WGN

The History of the Harmonica Tells a Horatio Alger Story.

The headline reads like this: "Small Pocket Instrument Moves West, South. Finally Gets Big Break in the 'American Sound.'"

The harmonica was not highly regarded in the beginning in the U.S. but rather was looked upon as of lowly status.

Paradoxically this caused widespread experimentation.

Following 1862, "serious artist" expectations (in dark glasses and biker garb) eventually crept in.

But success is a double-edged sword for all pop icons and our diminutive hero proved not to be impervious. As a result, many who picked up an old single-purpose harmonica gave up, only to put the thing in the back of a drawer.

Fortunately, the advent of the dual-purpose FlashHarp gives the harmonica a much-needed second wind. FlashHarp buyers are liberated from its high expectations by virtue of its USB/flash-memory utility (e.g., it can store digital documents, pictures, videos, music, you name it).

Instead of diminishing the harmonica, FlashHarp's dual purpose has turned out to return the instrument to its former glorious, popular, lowly status.

For hundreds of new-breed type user-players this comes as good news, indeed.

Buy a 2, 4 or 8GB FlashHarp now at the BackyardBrand store on Etsy, the "all things handmade" Web site. You'll find valuable links to demos and additional articles there as well.

FlashHarp and Backyard Brand are registered trademarks of FlashHarp Music LLC

The World's First And Only Playable Harmonica USB Flash Drive

Demo FlashHarp.

Carrying the playable, 3" FlashHarp improves more than your digital storage capacity. It boosts your cultural memory, too, in ways that far exceed the vacuous vibe you'll get from carrying a plain, soulless flash drive.

CONSIDER THE ORIGINAL MAN FROM THE LAND OF LINCOLN...
Lincoln himself, whose craggy facial features laid bare the conflict of an entire nation, found great comfort in playing his harmonica; so much so that during his presidency he reported it as one of his two favorite things.

No small feat for the diminutive harmonica.

IMAGINE, HAD LINCOLN'S HARMONICA BEEN A FLASHHARP...
He would have had no need for that "stovepipe" he wore (which toted copious notes atop his presidential head). Further imagine Mary Todd Lincoln giving her husband for his birthday a FlashHarp with "Honest Abe," "Rail Splitter" or "Great Emancipator" etched in gold letters on the side.

Personalization is available on every size of FlashHarp.

LEARN TO PLAY AT LEAST AS WELL AS PRESIDENT LINCOLN!
Buy a FlashHarp preloaded with my homespun, "Five Basic Steps to Playing," instruction video. When it arrives, simply remove the USB cap, take the FlashHarp out of its hard plastic box and plug the instrument into your computer. Next, save the QuickTime lesson video to your hard drive and remove the FlashHarp. Now you can play along to my lesson using the FlashHarp.

Shipping is included FREE on every lesson-loaded FlashHarp!

WHO THE HECK IS THE BACKYARD HARMONICA TEACHER?
The inventor of the FlashHarp, I originally preferred as my title, "Official Marriage Counselor Between The 'American Sound' And Everyone Who Ever Loved It." But one is not always at liberty to choose the name(s) by which one becomes known, so, The Backyard Harmonica Teacher will have to do. Make no mistake, tho, the "Official" moniker is not harping on the subject too strongly. After all, it is what I'm tootin' for! Hear The Backyard Harmonica Teacher's own story from his own mouth.

HITTING SINGLE NOTES ON A FLASHHARP IS A CINCH IF YOU ALREADY PLAY...
But if you're just learning, the Musical Combo may be for you, that is, if single-note mastery is your goal—which it may not even be. (Blowing big, fat chords on a FlashHarp may be all the musical satisfaction you require; in which case, one needs no training at all to do that!)

Anyway, the Musical Combo kit includes a lesson-loaded "C" FlashHarp plus a separate, full-sized harmonica, the Plug 'n Play, also in "C". (Again, single-note technique is easier to "pick-up" with the Plug 'n Play because of its larger holes.)

AT A LOSS FOR WHAT TO DO NEXT?
Look, even if you never make it onto "America's Got Talent," the FlashHarp is a great tool for expressing and storing soulful feelings. That's why it's the perfect flash drive for music lovers, especially harmonica music lovers.

FlashHarp is patented. There is no substi"toot!"

Learn more at: http://www.BackyardBrand.com

Know Any Harmonica Snobs?

Once upon a time, the harmonica, like the key of "C," was regarded as a musical instrument "of the people."

No one had to put on the least air of ostentatiousness or pretentiousness when buying one.

Everyday people bought it to enjoy to whatever extent they wanted. No one felt they had to follow anyone else's rules or style, to play "crossharp" or utilize "blow bends," or master "overblows." That's because, often, people, young people, especially, were being invited to discover music by way of the harmonica.

Because of its original lowly status, no owner was explicitly or implicitly required by anyone to do anything beyond plunking down the dough it took to buy the thing. Ownership was easy and, truly, a great value. And with it came the common pleasure of knowing that one had in one's pocket a real musical instrument.

Because one didn't over-invest the harmonica with all kinds of artistic pomp and circumstance, one was actually empowered with the liberating notion that one could darn well fiddle with the thing to whatever fair-thee-well one wanted.

As a result, the harmonica not only became pervasive, it became the subject of as many musical experiments as there were owners.

By virtue of it being affordable to almost anyone, nature took the harmonica on a fascinating musical course, putting it into the hands of more and more people, some of whom truly were musical innovators (but many of whom, weren't).

The many new artists' playing styles, innovating around the harp's tonal qualities and note layout, occurred around the same time the direction of the "American Sound" was being defined.

Then, something paradoxical but predictable happened.

With the harmonica's evolution, the instrument began to take on a new, higher level of status until somehow, one day, playing it actually became regarded a bonafide form of art.

After this status shift (from "Do Ra Me" to "Laaaa aa dee daa"), "harmonica playing" began to become more and more the domain of special players using certain kinds of styles in certain ways. I call this paradoxical because, certainly, many of the artists who helped define the direction of harmonica playing were indeed deserving artistic innovators. I call it predictable because real artists often attract followers, many of whom would attribute to the form traits that do not serve Art at all well.

In sum, I believe the harmonica's evolution has been a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it's been good to the extent that innovations like crossharp, bending and overblowing have come about. But it's been bad, too, to the extent that some would limit participation in the simple pleasure that "playing with it" can bring (which should include any- and everybody).

In my opinion, the formerly noble harmonica has today had its identity largely usurped by an ignoble new kind of musical snob (and this brings me around to the real reason I sat down to write this post today in the first place!). I was recently banned from certain harmonica discussion forums because some so-called "blues" purists there reported me for spamming. Which I was not doing; I was merely explaining what the FlashHarp® is; namely, a real, playable harmonica in combination with a perfectly useful flash drive. In ignorant bliss, the people who reported my alleged spamming simultaneously slammed the FlashHarp's quality, calling it, "cheap," "low quality," etc. In other words, without ever owning or trying to play one, they stated a range of ungrounded assertions that were wholly unfounded and untrue. (BTW, I explain FlashHarp's quality level and manufacture process in more detail in my previous post here. Suffice it now to say, the FlashHarp harmonica USB is made carefully, by hand, in the USA, using precision parts that are engineered to high specification and produced in low quantities, right here in the USA. Read more about it here.)

FlashHarp is a real musical instrument, one which any owner—no matter how highly trained, musically—is invited to experiment with, innovate upon and draw their own conclusions about (from both a musical and basic utility standpoint).

In that sense, the FlashHarp of today is closer in identity to the harmonicas of old. For FlashHarp gives back to the harmonica instrument its perfectly approachable, "Every Person" status. Which, after all, is what the harmonica was all about in the first place, before it became a snob-infested high-art form overrun by more followers than leaders.

FlashHarp puts the harmonica back in the hands of everyday people to do with and enjoy however they darn well please—no strings or artistic pretensions attached. Check out the FlashHarp® right now at: http://www.BackyardBrand.com. Prices start at less than $45 for the 2GB model. 4 and 8GB models are available, as well.

The Backyard Brand® School of Backyard Blowin'

Here's why the playable, lesson-loaded FlashHarp® harmonica USB drive makes more sense than harmonicas that just make music.

A high-quality instrument handmade in Riverside, IL, USA, the FlashHarp uses specially-engineered stainless steel parts that are also manufactured in Illinois in very small quantities. In addition to these custom-designed and manufactured parts, FlashHarp's musical and flash-memory components are supplied by the world's market leaders.

There is no substi"toot" for a FlashHarp not just because it is the world's first and only harmonica USB flash drive but also because of what's inside. Namely, a harmonica lesson taught by the authoritative non-authority on "Backyard" Blowin', The Backyard Harmonica Teacher. You can hear this self-styled teacher's story straight from his own mouth if you search for the name on YouTube; but a brief summary of the school of thought follows below.

The Backyard School of Blowin' says anybody who can own a harmonica can set about to play the thing as well as or as poorly as they darn well choose. An independent, inventive and "nothin' fancy" approach that focuses on pickin' up your own style, Backyard Blowin' has no bias or barrier to entry whatsoever, other than owning your own first instrument. This is basically the same style of the original innovators of the instrument on American soil, i.e., the cowboys, hobos and newly freed slaves, all of whom picked out their tunes by ear under the tutelage of grandparents, general-store-style court-holders and farm-hand drifters more than 150 years ago. It's also the same one taken by Abraham Lincoln, Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid. That being said, all of the more formal, long-since well-established forms such as Blues, or Country and Western, or Folk, can be played on the FlashHarp, and you may well decide to head off in and commit yourself to one of these directions at some point after you've gotten your "C" legs on a FlashHarp. That's up to you; and that's the true beauty part of "The Five Basic Steps to Playing" instruction video that comes inside your FlashHarp. It covers in great detail the five key points you'll want to know to keep from getting tripped up by the harmonica, no matter which direction you decide to go.

Speaking of detail, you should know that every FlashHarp model can be purchased with Personalization (gold-etched letters are applied to the side opposite the blow holes). This is especially nice to know if you have a particular person in mind as a recipient for a gift.

All that being said, if you're dead certain Backyard Blowin' is just not good enough for you or yours today, that's your prerogative. In which case, your tastes are probably already too high falutin' for the decent yet serviceable instrument that is the harmonica part of a FlashHarp, which, again, is supplied to its handcrafter, Backyard Brand®, by the widely recognized world leader in the manufacturer and distribution of harmonicas.

In sum, the FlashHarp is intentionally designed as an instrument of the people, for the people, its dual purpose serving to effectively take playing out of the hands of "pros" and put it back in the hands of "Joes" and "Floes" and everyone in-between. And that's just fine with its inventor, The Backyard Harmonica Teacher.

Now, if you are a would-be "pro," you should probably just go on ahead then to your local music store and blow your dough on, well, whatever fancier instrument you see that tickles your fancy. Just don't come crying to me when you come to realize later that, in fact, you are not a "Pro" but are just another of us "Joes" or "Floes," i.e., someone in-between. (This realization, btw, will come to you slowly, about the same time that that old-fashioned single-purpose harmonica of yours begins wending its way to the deeper back recesses of your dresser drawer.)

On the other hand, if you know yourself well enough to be able to admit you have a life outside the harmonica and accept that you'll probably never be the next Blues legend (subject to all the stylistic rules such schooled "freeform" playing engenders), consider yourself accepted just as you are right now to The Backyard Harmonica Teacher's School of Backyard Blowin'.

And, really, when you think about it, who doesn't have a life outside the harmonica? Right? That's the real beauty part about Backyard Blowin'. Your playable FlashHarp will hang in there for you as a true pocket companion even if and/or when someday you give up on the idea of actually playin' it as a musical instrument! I'm just sayin'! Should that time ever come (not that it necessarily will!), you'll find great relief in knowing you still have a highly useful device because its functional, stylish flash drive will always be dutifully available to you for storing pics, tunes or video—whatever your heart desires!

If you find that a liberating safety net to know about, well, you're starting to get Lesson One in the Book of Backyard Blowin'! In which case you should definitely check out the FlashHarp at http://www.BackyardBrand.com. Prices start at less than $45 for the 2GB model. At least spend some time thinkin' about all this before you plunk down dough on an old-fashioned single-purpose instrument. Ultimately you should make the right decision for you, which, I know, won't be an easy choice to make.

FlashHarp® clip courtesy of HGTV

FlashHarp was chosen from millions of handmade items to appear on HGTV's "15 Fresh Handmade Gift Ideas."

10 Ways to Tell A Musical Geek

1) He never seems lonely
Musical geeks commonly keep the social tools for amusing themselves close at hand. For example, if a playable harmonica USB flash drive isn’t protruding from said musical geek’s pocket protector, it’s probably because its dual-purpose functionality—that of playable harmonica and handy data storage device—is being demonstrated to a throng of geeky musical bystanders whose common propensity for pocket protectors is similarly apparent.

2) He has plenty of capacity
Fortunately, his aforementioned playable harmonica USB flash drive’s memory provides him with tons of extra data storage for tunes, scores and instructional videos, coming in 2, 4 and 8GB capacities.

3) Curiosity is his trademark
Musical geeks love anything they can get their hands on that has to do with their favored instrument. The more authentic and musically geeky, the better. FlashHarp is a real, 3" harmonica...


4) He’s got a grasp of the big picture
The musical geek has read all of the press quotes, "how-to" tips and links to articles that have been written about the playable harmonica USB flash drive. He’s even seen the “Satellite View” of the big backyard of BackyardBrand.

5) His musical geekiness is plain to see
The musical geek wears his figurative heart on his figurative sleeve, as is evident by the harmonica USB flash drive that he's so eager to show everyone. He’s even mastered “Flash Dance” on the thing…


6) He loves to connect with likeminded musical geeks
Yes, he "Likes" http://facebook.com/BackyardBrand.

7) He feels appreciated—personally
His personalized harmonica USB flash drive proves that he is, in fact, loved. In turn, the aunt, mother, cousin or sibling who gave him his playable harmonica USB flash drive feels greatly appreciated _by him_. (Personalization is available to the girlfriends of musical geeks, as well, in those rare instances when such a relationship exists.)

8) His mind is open to the unknown, which, btw…
For example, his playable harmonica USB flash drive proved an ideal "first" harmonica for him even tho he ran into a number musical mysteries...

9) …he processes on his own terms (ones and zeros)
The "5 Basic Steps to Playing" lesson video available on all playable harmonica USB flash drives geekily unmasked for him all of the harmonica's little quirks, thereby empowering him to quickly start "picking it up." He’s almost certainly watched The Backyard Harmonica Teacher perform his1-minute bit at least 100 times.


10) He’s always ready to get geeky!
If you know a geek who currently does not possess a playable harmonica USB flash drive, buy him one now—he’ll love the fact that there's no substi"toot!" (Pat. Nos. D624,550 and D602,940)

10 TIPS ON HOW TO DELIGHT A MUSIC LOVER

1) Help her live out her passion...
Passionate people love to share their passion with others. Having a FlashHarp will help your music lover expose her musical soul to the world.

2) Appeal to her musical curiosity...
For example, the true music lover can't resist picking up and playing with small, musical oddities that make sounds and notes. The more musically weird and compact, the better!

3) Help her do practical stuff...
The FlashHarp can do more than play, its USB can be plugged into any computer to immediately provide 2, 4 or 8GBs of extra memory for storing tunes, pics or videos. (I use my mine to collect photos, thoughts and oversized art files… http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.203726201.jpg )

4) Open up new musical worlds...
FlashHarp is an ideal "first" harmonica. Naturally, someone who's never played a harmonica will run into a few musical mysteries—but no worries...

5) Keep it simple, silly (K.I.S.S.)
FlashHarp’s "5 Basic Steps" video lesson by “The Backyard Harmonica Teacher" unmasks the harmonica's little quirks. (You can get the video preloaded on any FlashHarp you choose.)

6) Help her see the bigger picture...
Visit my Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/people/BackyardBrand for press quotes, "how-to tips" and links to articles.

7) Show her she's part of a larger community...
Check out my Feedback on Etsy at: http://www.etsy.com/people/BackyardBrand/feedback?ref=pr_feedback
Also join the group at http://facebook.com/BackyardBrand

8) Play musical matchmaker...
"A mouth organ is a man's best friend, Peekay. You can slip it in your pocket and when you're sad it will make you happy. When you're happy it can make you want to dance. If you have a mouth organ in your pocket you'll never starve for company or a good meal. You should try it, it's a certain cure for loneliness." (from "The Power of One," a wonderful novel by Bryce Courtenay)

9) Offer a token of your own musical appreciation...
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, "A friend is a gift you give yourself." FlashHarp is a great way to "give" your special musical friend to yourself. It will delight, as well as engender a greater appreciation of you!

10) Let the good times roll!
FlashHarp can satisfy any music connoisseur's craving for a "wacky fix." It's certainly more fun than an ordinary flash drive. Buy one today and delight all your special musical friends.

There's no substi"toot!"

Demo at: www.HarmonicaUSBdrive.com
HEAR ME, THE BACKYARD HARMONICA TEACHER, DO A 1-MINUTE BIT AT: http://www.FlashHarpMusic.com

What to Look For in A Flash Drive (Soul)

With all the function, convenience, capacity and security being designed into flash drives of late, it's high time for some high style to enter the memory-stick market space. I'm not talking tacked-on sleekness but rather the real deal, the genuine, down-home article. Viewers of HGTV Black Friday night got a glimpse of exactly what I'm talking about on the 7 p.m. Eastern special, "15 Fresh Handmade Gift Ideas." If you missed it, not to worry. The same special is being replayed Friday, December 3rd, at 2 p.m. Eastern. If you did see it, you saw something special indeed, the soulful flash-memory device which is also a real musical instrument, the same one of choice of both cowboys and Blues Brothers.

That's right, it's also a harmonica, a harmonica that really plays and, thanks to its flash memory, stores a video harmonica lesson onboard called, "Five Basic Steps to Playing," taught by The Backyard Harmonica Teacher.

Finally, all the original benefits of the memory stick have been updated with something as old, authentic and soulful as the Oklahoma hills Woody Guthrie himself once roamed.

Think about it. Mass merchandise outlets, especially on Black Friday morning, are full of plain old, vacuous pen drives. What's needed is one that's got personality earned by walking the line and taking its time. One that's got soul and can even play the blues.

This brings an authentic identity to the flash memory utility. Authenticity is something that can't be substituted, especially not by a marketing agency's sort of "branding." To get musical about it, real authenticity is what it is because it's been tempered by time and use so that it has acquired that certain intangible patina called, "soul."

The harmonica has owned that kind of identity for more than 150 years. And it's more than a musical instrument with a past; it's a portable one that's played an important part in America's unique musical history.

The harmonica is a winner of an identity for flash memory not for what it possesses but for what it lacks:

It has no identity crisis.

For this reason, the harmonica USB's appearance on HGTV also signals the validity of that oft-unsung musical hero. The harmonica lesson that comes on it attempts to uphold that deep significance, as well.

HGTV should be applauded for recognizing that, though small in stature, the harmonica's soulfulness rings truest by virtue of being so well worn. Its migration story tells a lot about us as a people. We find the harmonica in our past, our present, and in our Horatio Alger outlook that size is not everything in the whole story of success.

The harmonica's past is documented today by its subtle presence in nearly half of the music we listen to today. And, like the flash drive, its convenience by virtue of its portability, goes without saying.


Jim McLean is the inventor of the world's first and only playable harmonica USB flash drive, the "FlashHarp" (Pat. No. D602,940 & D624,550). FlashHarp is a registered trademark of FlashHarp Music LLC. Also "The Backyard Harmonica Teacher," McLean instructs the video harmonica lesson that's available on the FlashHarp. See McLean demo the invention at http://www.harmonicausbdrive.com. A product of Backyard Brand™, FlashHarp is also available packaged together with a full-size, 10-hole companion harmonica. Backyard Brand products may be purchased at http://www.backyardbrand.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McLean

Inspiring Music Appreciation in Young Children

I think (and write) about the harmonica A LOT but what I've been thinking about lately is broader: How important playing an instrument, any instrument, is to inspiring music appreciation in young children. Personally, I started to play harmonica when I was a kid. Further, my whole life has been a perpetual process of picking up and putting the thing down. Lo' these many years later, I now have my own children. Even more, they are both budding musicians--a fact I'm extremely grateful for. Call me immodest, but, I take a little bit of credit for inspiring their "playing." Here's why...

When my children were four or five, my harmonica life was in one of its "off" periods. That was understandable, I think, because we'd been busy raising twins (still are); and believe me, that can take up the better part of the day. Still, I very much knew I wanted them to play an instrument someday and that I wanted music to become an organic part of their lives. But how to lead them?

Eventually, I made a conscious decision that I now see was driven by a single desire: Whatever I did as a father, I did NOT want to preach, "practice, practice, practice" at them. I find that kind of daily berating (especially if it comes from someone who doesn't themselves even play an instrument) counter-productive.

Rather, I decided instead I'd immerse my kids in handmade music by giving off a good, daily dose of sound from my only real instrument, the harmonica. And believe me, what I produce isn't always a beautiful sound. I know I'm not the greatest harmonica player in the world; and even if I was, I know as well as anyone that too much of a good thing...

Upshot: My kids now play. And, I think, it's not because anyone ever told them to (neither parent ever did). Rather, they play because they both got to a point somewhere along the line, after hearing their parents regularly pick up an instrument and make something come out of it, when they each said, "I want to play piano," and "I want to play violin." In other words, the decision was all theirs, occurring against a backdrop of actual, authentic, handmade musical sound ("recorded" sound is not a substitute for what I'm talking about here).

In sum, it's extremely important for young parents who want their children to become musical, to themselves try to derive pleasure on their own from "playing" a musical instrument (it's no mistake that it's called "playing" music). Set an example and keep the "practice!" speech to an absolute minimum. Trust me on this one, folks, take steps to make music a fun, playful part of your life and it won't turn into something that's like "work" (a fact which your kids may someday thank you for).

Jim McLean is the inventor of the world's first and only playable harmonica USB flash drive, the "FlashHarp" (Pat. Nos. D602,940 & D624,550), which may be purchased at "Arts & Artisans" stores on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, as well as at the "BackyardBrand" store on Etsy, "the all things handmade" Web site. FlashHarp is a registered trademark of FlashHarp Music LLC. "The Backyard Harmonica Teacher," McLean instructs the video harmonica lesson that's available on the FlashHarp. See McLean demo the invention at http://www.harmonicausbdrive.com. See him perform a bit at http://www.FlashHarpMusic.com. FlashHarp is also available boxed together along with a full-size, 10-hole harmonica, "The Plug 'n Play," in a product called the "Musical Combo." Both are products of Backyard Brand®.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McLean

Fun High-Tech Musical Instrument Has Real Outdoorsy Style

I love to go on overnight camp-outs with my Girl Scout kids. And when we're out there, I really appreciate all the different kinds of sounds we can hear; birds chirping, twigs crunching under feet. Running water. The wind through leaves. These naturally musical sounds are a big part of what the outdoors has to offer us, as food for our souls.

Given this fact, the lack of products to be found at camping goods and recreational/outdoor stores for making "outdoorsy" music amazes me. More music-making material and less "just stuff" would make many a "sound hound" fan of the wide-open spaces a lot happier.

Harmonicas are wonderfully portable musical instruments and ideal for camp-site learning and merrymaking.

Best of all, learning to play the harmonica doesn't take much. Just a little time on your hands and the right instrument with which to learn.

I know, I know. There are tons of excuses not to learn to play. Say you buy a harmonica; there's the real chance you won't be able to master it. Then what? The thing will just end up in the back of a drawer, reminding you once a year of what could have been (imagine the gazillions of harmonicas getting mustier by the minute in camper glove compartments the world over).

But what if there was a smaller-than-usual harmonica that actually had the guts and know-how to HELP you learn to play? Then, would you consider trying to learn to play? Would that help you over the musical hurdle?

One of the greatest, jauntiest harmonica songs of all, "Oh, Susannah," sounds especially great in the great outdoors. You can play "Oh, Susannah," with chords--great for beginners--or single notes, too. OK, playing single notes is a BIT trickier; but single-note playing just takes a bit of experimentation and practice (a great way to pass some quality time outside!). The "trying" is the important thing. Do that and you'll be amazed that pretty soon you'll actually be able to do it; it's all about developing the right mouth-and-lip shape. (It's called embouchure.)

The harmonica's popularity really has root in the great outdoors. Consider the Old West, where the instrument caught on in the U.S. Cowboys loved the mix of campfire smoke and the high, lonesome sound of Camp Cookie's trusty mouth organ. In the old South, too, a new kind of harmonica mastery blossomed. There, the instrument's soulful "cross-harp" sound emerged, enabling lots of soulful throat vibrato, bending and whooping. The harmonica played a truly central role in the emergence of the blues.

There's the image of the harmonica as a hobo instrument, too; and it's not entirely misplaced. Look at the harmonica's history in the U.S. and you'll see it all adds up to a compact little instrument with a lot of outdoorsy style.

The really exciting news about the harmonica today is that its shape is proving useful for another instrument as well: the USB flash drive. So now, as in days of old, the harmonica's musical possibilities are once again beginning to bubble and boggle the imagination of folks especially enamored of the great outdoors.

Jim McLean is the inventor of the world's first and only playable harmonica USB flash drive, the "FlashHarp" (U.S. Pat. No. D602,940). FlashHarp is a registered trademark of FlashHarp Music LLC. Also "The Backyard Harmonica Teacher," McLean instructs the video harmonica lesson that's available on the FlashHarp. See McLean demo the invention at http://www.harmonicausbdrive.com. A product of Backyard Brand™, FlashHarp is available packaged together with a full-size, 10-hole harmonica, the "Plug 'n Play." Backyard Brand products may be purchased at http://www.backyardbrand.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McLean

Injecting Realism Into Steampunk

I love Jules Vernes' "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" as much as the next punk. And apparently, the next punk loves it a lot, judging by how quickly the sci-fi, techno-Victorian fantasy look called "SteamPunk" has become all the rage. The look is catching on so quickly, perhaps, because the concept is so easy to articulate. This ain't your dad's design--or your grand-dad's, or even your great grand-dad's. Think turn of the century--the last century, that is.

Think big boilers with copper sheen, bands of shiny steel and huge, kernel-headed nuts that baton down what? Well, nothing important, original or authentic, at all, really. Everything from watches and cuff-links to clothing accessories and computer doo-dads are now being decked out with totally superfluous adornments possessed with an aesthetic that seems to have come out of Vernes' own version of Bladerunner.

The thing is, there aren't many examples of SteamPunk-styled items that offer anything beyond just added-on adornment--with perhaps one exception. A new harmonica USB flash drive, recently being quietly introduced throughout various high-profile venues, has a patented design with "Prior Art" that reaches right back into that era of time that inspired the Steampunk movement. Specifically cited is Patent No. 505,493, by Carl Strauss, dated September 26, 1893, for an "Improved Harmonica" with a "novel construction" utilizing unusually attaching cover plates.

Such a 100-plus-year-old design being referenced today is not all that remarkable, in its own right. Except, when combined with a USB flash drive, the design turns into something totally novel and useful that's both a musical instrument and a data storage device, combined. As for its "authentic" steampunk look? Scrutinize it closely and you'll see that, in truth, the real beauty of this particular steampunk example is its duality, functionality, authenticity and utter lack of any excessive, unnecessary or superfluous adornment, at all. Which makes the harmonica USB flash drive quite a unique steampunk specimen, indeed.

Jim McLean is the inventor of the world's first and only playable harmonica USB flash drive, the "FlashHarp" (Pat. No. D602,940), which may be purchased at all Arts and Artisans shops on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, as well as at the "BackyardBrand" store on Etsy, "the all things handmade" Web site. FlashHarp is a registered trademark of FlashHarp Music LLC. Invention demo is at http://www.harmonicausbdrive.com. See "The Backyard Harmonica Teacher" who instructs the video harmonica lesson that's available on the FlashHarp perform a bit at http://www.flashharp.com. FlashHarp is also available packaged together along with a full-size, 10-hole harmonica in a product called the "Plug 'n Play Musical Combo." Both are products of Backyard Brand™.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McLean

The Harmonica, Americana and U(SB)

There's a type of musical sound out there that's pulling inspiration from all over the map. Best of all, it cuts to the heart of what's been going on in the high-tech musical gadget realm, as well. It's called Americana--and that's what it's all about: America.

The sound has its roots in the Midwest, and the form is apropos to a wide range of artists from all over with sounds that are still looking for a place to hang their hat. The term immediately conjures up images of the cowboy, steamboats and gazebos. I feel Old West but I hear rural blues, country, rock and rockabilly in there, too. A variety of groups including Wilco, Band of Heathens, Coachmen and Jan Spillane echo the sound.

What's interesting about this music is that its name mirrors a material "ism" that's been around for decades and has recently made resurgence. Until now, "Americana" referred to that bric-a-brac form of American culture that conjures up images of cabin-style motels with wall mounted lobby plaques for sale bearing cutting-but-cute sayings wood-burned thereupon. Internationally, the term has pull for a certain crowd enamored of all things "American."

The musical application of the Americana concept is far fresher than that.

Still, only one form of Americana is both musical and a material embodiment. It's the harmonica USB flash drive that's recently quietly being introduced at various high-profile venues, including the music store at the Old Town School of Folk Music, "Different Strummer," and the "All Things Handmade" Web site, Etsy. The harmonica USB flash drive is great for both music aficionados and musical klutzes, because even if they never master the art of playing the harp, they can still use the flash drive that's built into it.

From the Old West to the Deep South to the south side of Chicago, the harmonica earned its place by walking the line. That bonafide legacy of trials and tribulations has helped the hand-warmed voice of the harp gain a powerful, influence over a vast segment of American music. So unlike ordinary "soulless" USB flash drives, the harmonica USB flash drive offers something people can't get in other flash drives--a real musical soul. Now that's a kind of Americana that has no substi"toot."

Jim McLean is the inventor of the world's first and only playable harmonica USB flash drive, the "FlashHarp" (Pat. No. D602,940), which may be purchased at the "Different Strummer" music store at The Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, Chicago, as well as at the "BackyardBrand" store on Etsy, "the all things handmade" Web site. FlashHarp is a registered trademark of FlashHarp Music LLC. See McLean demo the invention at http://www.harmonicausbdrive.com. "The Backyard Harmonica Teacher," McLean instructs the video harmonica lesson that's available on the FlashHarp. See The Backyard Harmonica Teacher perform a bit at http://www.flashharp.com. FlashHarp is also available packaged together along with a full-size, 10-hole harmonica in a product called the "Plug 'n Play Musical Combo." Both are products of Backyard Brand™.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McLean

Musical friendships are different, special

Have you formed friendships with people in your life with whom you share a musical bond? Can you talk about it, or is it beyond the spoken word (if so, I know how you feel).

Maybe it's a family bond between sister and brother, or parent and child. Was the bond there already before the child, latent?

Maybe you met already grown up, standing up, listening to music at a concert. Or sitting down at a bar. Perhaps you knew your special musical friend first in a nonmusical way; and the music came later, to fill in an unknown gap.

Or maybe you met in making music yourself, or in making it together, with them. Maybe you came to meet your special musical friends at a period of time defined by the music of the time. Or maybe a particular instrument is the focus of your friendships...

All my life, I've found myself drawn to the musical people around me, because they are music itself's muse. Through them, I hear the bells of the beyond ringing in a pure language I recognize, but cannot articulate myself, alone.

Music loves company, and so do musicians. I'd love to hear your musical friendships story, put to words. Play one for me here.

Here's a funny story...

Yesterday, about 5 after noon, my wife got a call from her mom, who wished my daughter a fun time at the poster-painting session she'd signed up for. My wife immediately sprang into action, yelling down to me and my daughter to get going, we were late. The school where the activity was going on was 5 minutes away, so we hopped on our scooters and zoomed over.

No prob; she got set up quick w her paints and poster, and soon was immersed in the task at hand.

So I said, "Can I go or do you want me to stay?"

"You can go," she said, while working, "but I'd like you to stay."

She's a really good artist and doesn't need daddy's help much at all anymore. So I must say, I was flattered. And I stayed.

Soon, I got bored, tho. Hey, she wasn't letting me even fill! So I pulled out my FlashHarp and started playing around, quietly, while the kids worked. There wasn't any other music playing in the gym, so it was fine. Not obnoxious.

After awhile a very nice lady inquired about my playing. And I said, no, i wasn't a professional. Just play for fun. "but I do make this, too," I said, holding out my FlashHarp.

She was fascinated. Even more, her husband plays harp, she said, and he's got a birthday right around the corner. Plus day after that, a 10 year anniversary.

Few minutes later, I was back on my xootr zooming home to put together a custom Plug 'n Play while she walked home for her checkbook.

When I got back to the gym with her gift, she was chatting away with my daughter, whose poster was now complete and looked fabulous.

There's a moral to this story somewhere, I think. At least, I sure hope there is ' cuz that was the most fun, natural sale I think I've ever made.

I think Etsy is a thing of beauty

The idea of Etsy grows on me the more I use it. That's what Etsy is: useful (and like I said int the title of this post, beautiful). So I've pledged to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere! Right on!

FlashHarp®—there's no substi"toot"

Got any Fourth of July gift plans? Put some Soul into it with a FlashHarp®!

FlashHarp®'s handheld handsomeness is perfect for anyone who has everything, who deserves something unique, unusual and special. Sure beats flowers or after shave.