Testimonials Click to submit yoursif i hadn't gone to the garden state harpfest a couple of years ago, where i joined slidemeister, i would have given up. the chrome out of the box is poorly made and too discouraging. i'd never encountered these quality control problems with any other instrument. but thanks to slidemeister, i've been dealing with these mechanical problems one at a time, and am approaching the sound and performance i want.
tim atwell Having read the previous testimonials, I was moved to make my own contribution if only to encourage people to join up.
I have played harmonicas on and off for donkeys years, if not longer! It is only recently following retirement that I have discovered the real beauty and qualities that harmonicas bring to the entire music scene. Diatonics aside; SlideMeister has introduced me to the whole new world of Chromatic harmonicas. I marvel at the links to You Tube and the amazing performances on there. I love the practical threads that advise on repairs and tuning etc. as well. Nowhere else that I know off can one rub shoulders with some of the best performers in the world and yet enjoy the humble way they freely give their time and experience to comparative novices like me. Chromatic harmonicas suit almost every type and style of music and that is very evident on this site however my favourite thread has got to be The Tabs Section. Why? Because for somebody who is still trying escape from the key of “C” it is a great way of finding out how to master tunes in other keys. Finally, “Thank You” SlideMeister for allowing me to be a part of a great Forum Fellowship. "Benfish" - St Neots, UK AGE, I think my story may be a little different from some of the members who have been here a while, but might be similar to some of your newer crew.
Although my first musical instrument - before I was in school - was harmonica, I mostly just piddled around with it for many years. Then, I started trying to learn to play Blues music on the 'little' harmonica. I was able to find a lot of help with that online. A bit later, although I'm playing in bar-bands, I decided I wanted to get serious about music - learn to play melodies, ballads, jazz, and to really play harmonica like a horn. Of course, I realized I needed to learn to play a 'Big Boy' harmonica for all that - a real instrument that has all the notes! So when I got a Chromatic harmonica, I looked up SlideMeister. I had seen the name "AGE" mentioned on that other forum, so I'd already heard about your site. What I found here was a group of helpful, well-behaved musicians that care about helping one another out - and having fun, too. The resources on the site are unparalleled. The depth, breadth and quality of players that participate in discussion here is truly impressive, and surprisingly, it's not intimidating, because one is welcomed here regardless of experience. Whether I need information about how to repair or maintain my instrument or I'm looking for a specific playing technique, I've always been able to find the information and especially clarification and support I need on SlideMeister. And because of the variety of approaches SlideMeister members use, there's always something here - charts, TAB, sheet music - that I can relate to, no matter where I'm coming from. Although I'm still working on my transition to chromatic, I think SlideMeister is just the ticket for me - thanks, AGE. Dane Terry aka "Roland Tumbler" For many years I have been looking around for some sort of musical instrument to play. In 2010 I got my dad's old Hammond organ when he didn't need it any more. Unfortunately it had “too many keys” and I had too few fingers (and always in the wrong place) to get any useful music out of it. I sold it, and checked out a music store where I saw a 16 hole Hering Professional Chromatic Harmonica” (the antique gold model) Wow! I never saw anything that beautiful before. I never knew they made them so pretty (or so expensive!) After some more looking, I found a chromatic harmonica that I could afford and soon afterward, how much fun it was to play! The question was: What else could I get if I were to spend 3 or 4 times what I paid for the last one? I found a used Hohner on E-bay, bought it, but it was in real bad shape. I took it apart, fixed it and sold it for a nice profit, and got some repair experience in the process. I did this a few more times and made enough for a new Suzuki Chromatix. I shared all that to say this: It would be impossible to do the job with a lot of harmonicas without the technical advice and “know-how” that’s so readily available on SlideMeister. Now, I have been looking around for a used Suzuki Slider for a while. They are not in production anymore, so there are no new ones available. But again, it was another SlideMeister member who told me that he had several … including one never played, and he offered to sell it to me. Even though he was in the U.S. and I live in Europe, there were no problems. I never trusted anyone the internet before, but SlideMeister is a special place where folks ~ can ~ trust each other. Now I'm now a happy owner of a Suzuki Slider 64. Totally incredible! This never would have never happened without the community of SlideMeister. Göran Eklund Sweden What a great read about how SlideMeister started and the subsequent events that followed.
You can read it here…http://www.slidemeister.com/the-slidemeister-story.html I stumbled across SlideMeister when I googled for information concerning a chromatic harmonica repair. It was unbelievable how much information was shared by so many great techs. I instantly joined the forum and discovered that there was an endless amount of information on any topic you could think of concerning the chromatic harmonica. This included not only maintenance and repair but song tabs, music theory, technique, brand comparisons, history of the instrument, and many more. The organization of the forum and its search engine makes it easy to find whatever you are looking for. I have enjoyed my membership and visit on a daily basis. I love the fact that AJ keeps it under control and people must have some manners and less than respectful behavior will not be tolerated. I have learned much from time spent at SlideMeister and it has been a source of inspiration to continue to practice and try to improve. There are some very knowledgeable and friendly members here and that keeps me coming back. Dave “Dr Shock” Morrison |