S q u e e z y t u n e s

Toy Harmonicor?

This has just turned up on Ebay.

Cute antique toy horn for kids. Made in France?

 One octave, 8 notes diatonic in C major.  The little instrument sounds like a harmonica.  Length: 33cm. Maybe this unique French fantasy items was inspired by the Louis Jaulin Harmonicor which had similar valves with reeds - patented in 1861.

Ebay Link

Borrah Minevitch & His Harmonica Rascals

Some cracking black and white harmonica tomfoolery here.

Hohner Harmonetta

What do you get if you cross an accordion with a harmonica?

One person who did just that was Ernst Zacharias and in so doing the Hohner Harmonetta was born.

They're pretty unusual but I did see 3 on Ebay during November and December last year - one of which sold for $750, and another sold for 370 Euros. So they're quite valuable too.

Judging from the videos on YouTube they aren't easy to play solos on, but this guy can do it.

More usually they're used to provide the rhythm in harmonica bands, a prime example being Svang.

Art Deco harmonicas

Art Deco harmonicas, originally uploaded by mouthorganman.

Dipping into my email backlog again. Flickr user emailed me back in February to tell me about his fabulous collection of rare and unusual harmonicas. Definitely worth a browse during your next tea break.

La Bottine Souriante

Seeing Bellowhead last week reminded me of the Quebecois band La Bottine Souriante. I'm sure that these guys influenced the Bellowhead style.