FAQs
1. "What's a FlashHarp?"
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• A 2, 4 OR 8GB FLASH DRIVE
• A REAL, PLAYABLE HARMONICA
• AN INSTRUCTIVE 5-STEP VIDEO
• A PERSONALIZABLE ACCESSORY
• A UNIQUE GIFT IDEA
• A FUN CONVERSATION PIECE
• A BONA FIDE HUNK OF AMERICANA
2. "What's FlashHarp DO?"
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• EVERYTHING PLAIN OLD FLASH DRIVES DO
• SOUNDS GREAT
• LOOKS FABULOUS
• MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE A MUSICIAN CARRYING AN AX TO A GIG!
• DEFLECTS ANY HYPERCRITICAL SLAMMING OF YOUR PLAYING ("Hey, it's just my flash drive—whaddaya' expect!?").
3. "What DOESN'T FlashHarp do?"
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• END UP IN THE BACK OF A DRAWER LIKE OTHER HARMONICAS.
• LEAVE YOU WITH THE VACUOUS VIBE OF ORDINARY FLASH DRIVES.
4. "What are the USB drive's specs?"
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- Full compatibility with USB 1.1 and 2.0
- Dual Channel Flash Memory Architecture
- Hot plug and play; functions like another hard drive
- Supports password protection
- No driver needed (Windows 98SE driver available)
5. "Is FlashHarp handmade?"
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Yes, it's "upcycled." The memory and musical workings—both supplied brand-new from market leaders—are carefully combining by hand so that each is undisturbed by the other. Additional parts are custom-made right here in Illinois. The lesson video is my finishing touch on a digital device with a hobo soul.
6. "Who makes the FlashHarp?"
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"I make it myself one piece at a time. Yeah, it plays—and it's one of a kind. Video lesson right inside. Sweet little harp and I ain't lying." That's me talking in my Backyard-Harmonica-Teacher voice (which you can hear, here).
7. "Who is FlashHarp for?"
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FlashHarp is for people who appreciate both flash-drive convenience and music (especially harmonica music). Unlike harmonica hopefuls who only briefly carry a harmonica, FlashHarp owners keep carrying their instrument because it's a useful thumb drive, too. Many are techy types with an inner wolf howl who've seen one of my free "crossharp" instruction videos. Read Feedback here. Check out the big backyard of Backyard Brand here.
8. "Where does FlashHarp come from?"
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I build it in the National Historic Landmark village of Riverside, Illinois, U.S.A., near U.S. Route 66 Highway ("The Mother Road"). Riverside was designed in 1868 by the designer of New York's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted. Read about my little town here. Take the interactive history tour here. The harmonica now used was patented by C. Strauss in 1893, as referenced in my 2009 patent. The country in which FlashHarp is built, U.S.A., sprang from the imaginations of its forefolk. That attempt to make "a more perfect union" proved to be a work still in progress in 1863, at which time President Abraham Lincoln introduced the Emancipation Proclamation. Illinois' favorite son, Lincoln is the only U.S. president to have held a patent (he may have played harmonica, too). Read more here.
9. "Any celebrities ♥ FlashHarp?"
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WGN News anchor Steve Sanders called it his "favorite" item and sounded great playing it on his 7/20/11 "Midday Fix." Check it out here.
10. "Do I have to learn to bend notes?"
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No. Whether you play chords forever or master single-note bending isn't important. What matters is setting free the music that's inside you. The harmonica has always been a great tool for that.
11. "Why buy a FlashHarp instead of an old-fashioned harmonica?"
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Buy an old-fashioned harmonica and you'll likely feel beholden to the highly refined tastes of a handful of harmonica snobs. FlashHarp shifts the balance of power away from this artistic elite back to everyday people. It puts the harmonica back on "nothin' special" ground. Ironically, this is the same type of musical status shift the old harmonica empowered when it first appeared on American soil. By providing a useful purpose, FlashHarp unburdens you from the musical baggage the old instrument has taken on. It frees you to explore playing from a new, more relaxed place—a sort of hi-tech hobo "campground" where no one judges you. It plugs you into the level of creative energy that early harmonica innovators tapped into, before the instrument became typecast (and too big for its britches, in my opinion).
12. "Can current players hit single notes on a FlashHarp?"
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Yes, easily. Single-♪ playing is like riding a bike. Once you learn you're locked in for life. If you've yet to master single-note technique—and want to—I offer The Musical Combo, my two-item, learn-to-play kit that contains a lesson-loaded FlashHarp as well as a separate, full-sized harmonica—the Plug 'n Play. Both items are in key of C. Single-♪ playing is somewhat advanced and easier to learn using an instrument with larger holes, hence the full-sized Plug 'n Play companion. Once you start to get the technique down, your single-♪ skill will easily translate to the FlashHarp!
13. "What if I stop playing the harmonica for a while?"
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It happens. When it does, FlashHarp still has a use. I call this having a Plan B•B.
14. "What future plans are in the works for FlashHarp?"
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FlashHarp is approved for a Kickstarter.com Project which will launch soon. Check back for updates.
15. "Is there a place I can view your full line?"
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Yes, it's on a single chart here.
16. "Why should I buy handmade?"
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WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM ETSY.
17. "What if I can't afford to buy a FlashHarp for someone's birthday?"
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A. SEND A "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" HARMONICA YOUTUBE GREETING!
B. SEND A FUN FLASHHARP POSTCARD!
C. FIND A GIFT FOR UNDER $25.
18. "Can you help me figure out which FlashHarp is right for me?"
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Yes, my Product Selection Guide suggests 5 key questions to ask yourself about your ultimate recipient (.jpg opens in separate window. Click 2nd time to magnify, then print.) Or contact me now and tell me a little about who you're thinking of buying one for, and, based on that, I'll give you my best recommendation.
19. "What if English is not my native language?"
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Use the "Google Advanced Search" function to search "FlashHarp" in your native tongue. There are 7,470 results for FlashHarp in French, for example. (Sadly, only three come up in Latvian or Icelandic.)
20. "Where can I read more about your point of view?"
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I blog my brains out here: http://www.backyardbrand.com/blog.html
My blog on Blogspot is at: http://backyardbrand.blogspot.com/
P.S. Many thanks to the hundreds of Etsyians who've "Treasuried" many Backyard Brand items!
FAQs = Frequently Asked Questions
P.S. = Postscript
