DATE: Fri, 26 Mar 1993 22:13:38 CST From: Dick Anderson Subject: Re: G harp's killing me
Re: > >> Bigger reeds make the G harder to bend. Takes more air to get them >> moving.
The reeds have more mass than an A harp, but they are identical in size. I measured all my Golden Melody harps with a micrometer and the length and width of all hole #1 reeds on harps from G up to C is the same. Hohner just varies the mass of the reed to change the pitch.
> > Physicists in the audience? How much more than the reeds on an A, >which I bend all over the place? Since I've been playing the A for over >a year with no trouble, advice aimed at beginners who can't bend >anything at all (such as `practice, practice, practice') is unlikely to >help. > >> 2. Adjust the "action" of the lower reeds. The draw reeds are the >> obvious place to begin, but the blow reeds if set too high will leak >> more air too. (Action is the distance between the tip of the reed >> and the plane of the reed plate.) For general use, 1 to 2 reed >> thicknesses is the corect height. You might want to go lower or > >This sounds worth while. How do you do it? > You bend,(very carefully), the reed either down or up from the plate until it is at the "right" level. You have to disassemble the plates from the comb to get at the blow reeds. Either that or use a pick and go in through the holes in the comb. Work slowly and check your work by playing a little after each adjustment. You can push the reed down toward the plate with your fingernail.
Question: Can you get all 3 bent notes on your A harp on 3 draw? And the two bent notes on 2 draw? If you can, then I'll buy your argument that practice might not be the factor here. >
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Dick Anderson CCMO Component Engineering Telnet 229-3110 Hewlett Packard Direct Dial 1-303-229-3110 3404 E Harmony Road HPDESK dick_anders~p4000 Fort Collins Colorado 80525 mail anders~pfcpq.fc.hp.com