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

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