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Post by minorkey on Feb 15, 2018 11:30:03 GMT -5
So I'm playing around with my cheapo C harp, practising isolating the notes, when I notice the draw on hole 2 sounds off. Instead of a G I'm getting a flat note, and checked against my tuner it shows as an F or F#. Is there a remedy for this, or should I fork out for a better harp?
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Post by minorkey on Feb 15, 2018 14:04:12 GMT -5
Cheers James. I made a video with picture here: http://instagr.am/p/BfOUhKWlfxW When blowing I was covering the holes on either side with my fingers so I could only blow the hole I wanted. Some on Facebook have suggested I'm overblowing to get the sharp but I'm not. Even if I blow gentle it sounds flat.
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Post by jbone on Feb 15, 2018 20:21:09 GMT -5
You said it's a cheapo. What this usually translates to is thinner reeds, which can fatigue out quicker. BUT when is the last time you gave the harp a gentle warm water rinse, or popped the covers off and took a look at the reed plates? 1) Dried saliva buildup on a reed will lower the pitch. 2) Any kind of particle or small hair can get stuck under a reed and affect how it performs in the reed slot.
There are a lot of instructional choices on the net these days. Along with that there are fairly inexpensive harps that stand up pretty well, like the Eastop 008 model for around $25 American. Made oin china and I must say, well made. I've had one for going on 2 years and it's still going strong. That's with regular practice and play.
I do have to ask this also- are you a hard draw player? By that I'm referring to a bad habit I had for years, that cost me a lot of harps. Mostly the 4 and 5 draw reeds on my D's would die because I just bent them way too hard for too long. I also did this on a few A harps. And no doubt C as well. The answer as Barbeque Bob Maglinte has said for years, is less breath force and more focus.
So if it's not a foreign object affecting the reed, it's probably a flatted reed. On a cheapo it's not worth replacing or having replaced. A better harp like a MB or several other models, there are guys who will do the work for a price. To me, most of the time, I choose harps that I can buy reed plates for like MS Hohners or preferably Suzuki models Manji, Pure, etc.
Hope that helps!
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Post by JamesP on Feb 15, 2018 21:45:13 GMT -5
I knew Jbone could answer you
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Post by minorkey on Feb 16, 2018 15:33:48 GMT -5
Thanks jbone. I'm not sure what you mean by a hard drawer. Ive only played it, oh a couple of times, maybe two half hour sessions since I bought it. Its been tucked away forgotten about since I bought it a couple of years ago. Its only the other day I started playing it. It is just a cheap no name one from House of Marbles.
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Post by jbone on Feb 16, 2018 20:41:45 GMT -5
Do you suck air through the harp really hard? It takes not too much draw or vacuum to fatigue a reed. They are very tiny strips of brass riveted on one end to the reed plate over the slot. If you imagine that very small thin piece of metal vibrating very fast with air flying past it, and then imagine it reaching its limit and beyond, that's when we hear a reed fatiguing out and going flat. I'm not saying you do that, but it is possible.
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Post by minorkey on Feb 17, 2018 6:36:45 GMT -5
Not really, but even if I draw softly I get the same result
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Post by minorkey on Feb 17, 2018 20:35:48 GMT -5
The problem seems to have resolved itself. I picked it up today to practice single hole blowing and voila, it was fine! http://instagram.com/p/BfUdqA4lPas I still might need to learn how to take it apart tho to clean it. Thats a useful thing to know right? And harps have weird star shaped nuts.
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Post by jbone on Feb 18, 2018 0:29:52 GMT -5
Yes they are a different screw head. I forget what they are called but hobby shops carry them. Personally I use a regular Phillips screwdriver and carefully loosen and later tighten the screws. Perhaps something was lodged in the reed slot. I use a 91% alcohol to soak the parts once I have it apart. This is after I've been playing for a few hours. A cake plate or other shallow device with a few mm's of alcohol in it, soak foe a few minutes, brush with a small brush, wipe with a lint free cloth, and look for any stuff under the reeds near the rivet. If it all looks good and clean reassemble. Screws snug but not super cranked as this can cause air leaks. In a pinch I have run warm water gently through a harp, sort of on the spot cleaning, say in a bar bathroom where I was gigging. Then tapped it on my leg to clear most of the water out, and blew and drew to get the rest. But fair warning, I have also sucked *something* out of the harp doing that! a small hair or a bit of food etc.
You are sort of on the beginning of a cool journey. For such a small instrument there is a lot to learn!
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Post by minorkey on Feb 19, 2018 3:44:44 GMT -5
Well I posted on a Facebook group about taking it apart and obviously they know so much about the instrument and I'm just a beginner asking a stupid question so of course the whole thing became a joke at my expense. I pulled the posting in the end.
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Post by jbone on Feb 19, 2018 8:15:00 GMT -5
Hope that wasn't at harptalk over there! I may have posted as well but no joke intended. To me there are no stupid questions. We all start at the beginning and if some sort of pride or a bad experience with an individual or two prevents us from asking for what we need, that's a sad thing. If I'd had the resources available now when I started it may have gotten me farther faster as a harp player and singer. I suggest blowing off the trolls and haters. Those people don't remember where they came from. I'm grateful every day basically, that I have this gift of music. I give back what's been given me so freely for so long.
I still say, you're at the start of a great trip!
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Post by minorkey on Feb 19, 2018 10:09:31 GMT -5
No it was on Harmonica Jam. But its no big deal. I was just a bit annoyed when I first saw the posts.
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Post by jbone on Feb 19, 2018 12:32:25 GMT -5
That's what I meant. I hang over there as well. Whatever the case maybe it's best to let that go. There are a lot of good folks who hang there.
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