Re: [Harp-L] Optimizing diatonic reeds for bending

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

See below for a clarification.

Winslow

----- Original Message ----
From: "Captron100@xxxxxxx" <Captron100@xxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 10:07:08 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Optimizing diatonic reeds for bending


 
In a message dated 1/14/2008 11:26:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx writes:

Excellent, lucid post, Winslow.  I  might be asking your permission to
 put it 
on my website, with due credit given  of course... ;-)
Steve


> The lower-pitched reed in the hole goes up in pitch as a bend  rises
 in 
pitch, and as the pitch goes up, the reed pulls farther away from the
  reedplate 
(you can see this when you play a reedplate with your mouth and watch
  it in a 
mirror.) Getting a slightly lower gap can give it a longer travel
 before  it 
gets too far away from the reedplate to swing through the  slot.


 
I am always impressed with the knowledge Winsow possesses and with all
 the  
time he takes to share, as in this case.  But he lost me in the above  
paragraph.  Standard bends lower in pitch, not rise.  With the
  greatest of respect, i 
think this could use an edit; perhaps an example.   If I've been
 playing 40 
years and it is confusing, I doubt if i am the  only one.  Perhaps i am
 too 
tired, but if i don't reply now, i'll forget in  the morning.

====WInslow sez:

I was writing fast with a headache. Here's what I mean. 

If you bend a note down, then let the note slowly unbend, the pitch of the bent note will rise until the note is no longer bent. 

Let's say it's a draw bend. Both the draw reed (the closing reed) and the blow reed (the opening reed) are rising in pitch as you release the bend.

A closing reed, as you bend it down, gets pulled closer and closer to the reedplate. As you release the bend, the reed moves away from the plate and back to its at-rest position.

An opening reed vibrating at its lowest pitch is fairly close to the reedplate. As you release a bend or raise a deep bend to a bend that is higher in pitch, the opening reed also rises in pitch. As it rises in pitch, it pushes farther away from the reedplate.

===Does this help? -- Winslow

  Also, someone else remarked about different opinions of what
  "gently" 
means when stroking a reedslot when embossing.  Each harp has
  different 
tolerances depending on the machine that stamps the slot (i  assume
 they are stamped?) 
and other factors, such as the placement of the reed  in the slot.  If
 the 
tolerances are great, more pressure is needed to  squish the reedplate
 material 
to reduce the tolerances.  I would advise to  plink very frequently, so
 that u 
hear the buzz as soon as a reedslot is starting  to close up too much.
  At 
that point, realigning the reed often helps, as  do other tricks I've
 learned on 
this list.  Thanks all.
ron
 



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