From: sk~te.com (Rod Thomas/Sandra Teare) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 23:28:15 -0500 Subject: Re:"Breaking in harps"
M. B. Will writes:
I read somewhere (maybe on this list, maybe from MikeC--not sure) that breaking in new reeds has something to do with metal fatigue. The reeds may have been sitting in the same position for a good long time between manufacture and sale, and suddenly introduced stress can cause the reed metal to fatigue faster than gradually introduced stress.
This has always been my quess. I've assumed that a reed that has been vibrated a zillion billion times would be somehow more flexible and less brittle than a reed that has just been manufactured. Now that ya'll got me thinking about it though, I can't imagine what the change in the reed would be (if the reed is getting "softer" in some way, wouldn't the pitch change). The fact that the change cannot be measured with a micrometer is not proof to me that nothing has happened. I find it way easier to blow nice blow bends on a harp that has logged many hours than on a brand new harp. I was however told about "breaking in harps" years ago, so I quess I can't be sure whether my expectations are driving my perceptions or the other way around.
Chow, - -Rod-
- -- Rod Thomas email: sk~te.com Illustrator phone: (617) 449-0480
