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From: Mike Curtis
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 13:59:02 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: tone (was breathing)

On Wed, 16 Oct 1996, Steve & Anne Price wrote:

> On Wed, 16 Oct 1996, Peter Morrissey wrote:
>
> > I think I am even getting desperate enough to search the archives
> > for Mike Curtis's instructions on valving a harp as this is the
> > most concrete suggestion that I have yet to hear on how to improve
> > tone.
> >
>
> I know that Mike makes many big claims or the value of valving
> his harmonica, but I don't think he has (yet) made the claim that you get
> a better tone that way.

Claims? They work exactly as described for me, ergo they're facts.

Actually, valving won't improve your tone per se, but learning valved
bending requires resonance - otherwise they won't bend - so learning
valved bending will let you know whether you're resonant or not, and in
this manner will improve YOUR tone.

No need to search the archives for valving information - here 'tis once
again. If any object on the basis that it has been posted before, please
see my post about my nightmare a couple days ago and go have a cold
beverage of your choice.

You can order windsavers from Hohner, as well as a few other sources.
They're little plastic strips, just a tad longer and wider than the reed
slot. exact size isn't critical, as long as they're big enough to stay
out of the reed slot and small enough that they don't impinge upon the
comb, cover plates, etc.

Douglas says the film from CDs makes nice home made valves. I've used
overhead transparency film. It doesn't seem to me that the exact material
is all that critical (corrections and reasons welcome).

Disassemble the harp to be valved. On the bottom reed plate (containing
the draw notes), on the side that goes inside the comb, glue a windsaver
to the riveted portion of the reedplate, but only on reeds 1 thru 6.
Ditto top plate, part that is outside the comb, and reeds 7 thru 10. I
use Superglue, placing a drop on a piece of plastic, foil, or other
nonporous surface and lightly dipping the end of the windsaver into it.
Duco or other contact cement also works, as does rubber cement, etc.
Place the lightly glued end over the rivet, press lightly with a finger,
quickly place another finger (other hand) over the free end of the
windsaver, and QUICKLY remove the finger from the glued part.

While you could do ALL the reeds, all you really need are draw 1 thru 6
and blow 7 thru 10.

I think the only legimitate claim he has made is
> that you can bend otherwise unbendable notes (i.e. the blow notes of the
> lower end and the draw notes of the higher end), to make a diatonic
> harmonica essentially chromatic, too, albeit without the chords that are
> available by switching harps for the appropriate key.

Actually, I've not used any hyperbole in my descriptions. I have been as
accurate as I know how to be, and can easily substantiate any questioned
claims.

Also, even though there are chordal advantages to switching harps, there
are still plenty of nice chords available in various positions - first and
second are obvious, but third, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions also
have very usable chords - ones you could never get in a more traditional
position, e.g. 6th position has a nice, full, jazzy Im7b5, etc. I
wouldn't sell positional chords short.



And I agree. MANY things contribute toward great tone and volume. And
both go together. On the Blues Cruise this weekend, we had a harmonica
seminar. We compared harmonica loudness. Without using hands, mine was
estimated to be about three times louder than that of the students, which
I attribute to resonance. This would translate to right around 15 dB, or a
power factor of roughly 30 times. The ear responds to acoustic energy in
a logarithmic fashion, so what "sounds" "twice as loud" is actually ten
times the power. Cupping hands in front to produce an additional
resonance at the note one is playing produces a similar increase in
volume. While I haven't heard Douglas Tate personally, I would imagine
his fabled acoustic volume is a direct factor of using both of these
techniques - internal and external resonance.

> As for exercises, I'd say, keep playing, though I look forward to
> other suggestions as well.

Doggone good advice!


-- IronMan Mike Curtis
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