A new world record has been set for longest chord played on a harmonica: 31 minutes and 31 seconds non-stop.
The man who has achieved this, a Catalan man called Quim Roca, did it by using the circular breathing technique.
The World Harmonica Festival, held in Germany, launched the challenge: could anyone play a chord non-stop for half an hour? Not only did he do it, but also, after setting the new world record, he declared this to the press: "I could go on for longer, but I thought it was not necessary. The point was to try it for the first time, to set a world record, and now it's time to wait for someone to beat it."
This feat has been widely talked about in the harmonic players scene. The room of the World Harmonic Festival where he set himself for this challenge was full of people, in absolute silence for the whole time. As soon as he finished, everyone stood up in an ovation. Immediately, the owner of the Museum of Trossingen (the German city considered the world capital of the harmonica) asked him to sign his harmonica and donate it to the museum to remember this feat, and it is exhibited from now on.
The event was also streamed live on the internet and followed by harmonica enthusiasts worldwide. The video of him achieving this world record (that is, literally just a video of him sustaining one chord for over 30 minutes) also quickly gained traction among harmonica fans on the internet and quickly reached 10,000 views.
Source: Regió7.