Harmonica
I’m sitting in the front room practicing my brand new harmonica. I got it for Christmas. It is called a “Chromatic” and has a long row of holes in it to make notes. One reason it sounds good is that it’s big and heavy. Not tinny like regular little harmonicas.
Also, there’s a special button on the side. You push it and it slides in. When you let go, it slides out. This slide gives twice as many notes because it changes the shape of the holes and makes different sounds.
I am trying to make my mouth and tongue work so I just blow air through the holes I want. It is hard. But I would like to learn to play some kind of instrument. Lots of kids I know play something.
Benny has a clarinet and sax. Max plays violin. It would be fun if I could learn to play the harmonica.
An instruction book came with the harmonica. Another book gives you a bunch of little songs to learn like “Pop Goes the Weasel” and “Yankee Doodle.”
I think this is a much better present than I got last year. I asked Mama for some encyclopedias. On Christmas, what I got was just four old books in a box. They weren’t real encyclopedias like the library has.
I was real mad at Mama and Tata. Giving me just 4 lousy books that didn’t even have some good pictures.
But my harmonica is very good. I am going to practice hard and try to learn some songs.
Henry never exhibits any particular talent for playing a musical instrument. Doing so would earn Mama and Tat’s approval as well as that of the Polish community. Here, many social events about in music and dancing.
As for the encyclopedias, any number of folks might feel that a thirteen year old boy who asks for set of encyclopedias for Christmas has a curious set of priorities.