Re: [Harp-L] re: Death rattle from a chromatic

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Martin - 


A chromatic with no valves is too leaky to play. (I include the ones that come that way from the factory.)


Some players remove ONLY the outside valves - this is called half-valving. Brendan Power is its chief proponent.


When you remove the outside valve, air can pass across the blow reed when you inhale. Consequently, the blow reed can participate in a draw bend in those holes where the draw reed is higher in pitch that the blow reed (this excludes Holes 4, 8, 12, and 16 on a 12-hole or 16-hole chromatic, where B is the draw note and C is the blow note.) So you gain a more diatonic-style bend, though you lose some airtightness and you also lose the extended bending range that an isolated reed makes available.

Some pro players really like half-valving while others find that they lose more air than they'd like, and that the tone becomes uneven - because now the blow notes and draw notes sound different from each other.

Winslow

 
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________________________________
 From: martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2012 10:37 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] re: Death rattle from a chromatic
 

  But I must confess to a strong urge to rip off those valves when I had them, or at least some of them, exposed.
 
Question: Would this have a considerably negative impact on the chromatic? As in "much to leaky to play w/ satisfaction"?
  I know some players use them without the valves, but perhaps they do other adjustments as well?
 
Cheers,
Martin