Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-05-18
THE HARMONICA.
Hundreds of Varieties Are Made and
Many Thousands Are Sold
Annually.

The harmonica, simple as it might
seem to be, is made in hundreds OF va
rieties, counting sizes and styles and
their different musical keys. All sin
gle harmonious, including the very
cheapest, are produced in seven keys,
A to G. inclusive. Double harmonicas,
with two sets of reeds, are made with
the two sides in different keys; and
then there are harmonious three-sided,
four-sided, >five-sided and six-sided.
each side being tuned in a different
key. Single harmonious are also sold
in sets of four in as many keys. The
key most commonly used is probably c.
The many thousands of harmonious
sold in this country annually are all
imported, some from Austria, but by
far the greater number from Germany.
They are made largely in factories,
but still to considerable extent, eth
er in whole or in part, in homes and
often by women; cheap labor enabling
| the production of them at very low
cost. In factories the tuners of har-
monicas sit at tables that are parti-
toned off something like desks in tele
graph offices, to give each operator a
| separate Enclosure and avoid confusion
with other sound close at hand. The
| reeds are tuned to those of correctly
| tuned harmonica which is used as a
| guide, the work being done with a
| file and knife, with which the several
| tongues are scraped or filed or cut in
whatever degree may be required to
| bring them into tune
| Harmonious are sold at all sorts of
! prices, from five cents up to So Or 81.
| At prices above so cents the harmonica
| is likely to be double. Double, harmon
| icas of larger size and more elaborate
| finish range in price up to $1.5O.
| Harmonicas with more than two
sides begin with the three-sided ones
at about $1.25, and run from that up
in price, according to size and quality
| and number of sides, to those having
| six sides, in as many keys, and ~ holes,
and called concert harmonicas and sell
| ing at $3.50 or more. The harmonica
is commonly deemed a toy and is
| chiefly sold and used as such; but good
| music can be got out of good har-
| monica, and it is more or less used as
musical instrument and played with
| other instruments or as an accompani-
| ment TO the human voice. A string. C d
instrument could, of course, be tuned
to play with a harmonica of any key,
but that harmonica might not do to
accompany other music, written per-
haps in a different key and played upon
| a piano and not easily transposed.
| Such and other requirements, as of the
| voice, are met by the harmonica that
can be played in several keys, and the
putting up together in a box of four
single harmonious of as many keys is
with the same purpose in view.
Of odd harmonious, other than those
that are standard and familiar, there
| is one kind with a tremulo attachment
| by means of which a tremulo effect
may be given to the notes. There is
another kind of harmonica made, with
gong bells attached that can be manip-
ulated by the player.
Of harmonica holders, designed to
hold the harmonica to a players lips
while he is using his hands to play an
other instrument at the same time,
which would be, most commonly a
guitar, there are at least three kinds;
one is an adjustable holder that goes
around and rests upon the shoulders,
the others being in one way and anoth-
er attached to and supported upon the
players clothing. And there are also
made harmonica pouches, of leather
and of chamois skin, and in various
sizes, and having at their opening end
framed jaws that snap together as
those of pouch pocketbooks do, in
which harmonious may be carried.