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From: Douglas Tate
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 20:38:26 +0100
Subject: Breaking in of reeds etc

Vern Writes:
#####################
I recently had the opportunity to ask about breaking in metal parts of a
professor of materials engineering at Univ Cal Irvine. She said that she
knew of no break-in effect where gentle cycling of a new metal part would
improve its fatigue life. I have not been able to find any such effect in my
own search of the literature. Must we not conclude that the break-in ritual
affects the player and not the harp?
####################
Oh dear Oh dear.
I agree with Vern on this one!
It is not true when one considers a fine acoustic guitar where there does
seem to be a mechanism which affects the crystalisation of the glue and
therefore the tone.
With the harmonica I think it is the settling of deposits of saliva around
the reeds gradually making the instrument more responsive. If we play fully
straight away I think that the expected volume and 'nuance' is not present
and the reeds are strained by the player trying to achieve the sound.

The only reason I would agree slightly with Mike Curtis on this one. (
Drive one handed and signal Left with your harp at 45 MPH until it is full
of bug bodies. This will have the same effect.

Douglas T