Re: [Harp-L] reeds

[Mike Fugazzi <mikefugazzi@xxxxxxxxx>]

I don't know if it is splitting hairs or not...and I don't know the level
of stress relative to reed shape or other modification - like making the
harp more airtight - as I haven't measured them myself.

Being that I personally don't blow many reeds, and I work towards making
that harder for others to do on my customs, I guess my focus is more on
response with the reed.  Technically, unless it is a sympathetic reed, the
reed has to have some level of arc to even sound.  If you look at a reed
offset on a really high end custom, you'll see that there is a balance of
where the gap actually starts vs how the reed closes.

If you take a toothpick, for example, and push the reed into the slot near
the tip, middle, and rivet, a very responsive reed will tend to close
(enter the gap) at essentially the same time.  If you look at the profile
from the side, you'd also see that the gap starts well before the reed tip,
but generally isn't large enough for a wealth of light to pass through.

This is all very hard to express via text and even harder with the crappy
video gear I have at home, lol.  Going back to the OP, if you are making
sure the top of the reeds aren't entering the slot when at rest, ensuring
your gaps aren't too wide or tight, and your reeds are relatively flat, you
shouldn't have too many issues.

A final comment to this post...When I gap a reed, I generally have my
forefinger and thumb supporting the back 1/2 to 2/3 of the reed by applying
gentile pressure to keep the the back half of the reed from changing its
gap.  I am doing a horrible job articulating this, but once you have the
position of the reed set near the rivet pad, you want that to stay stable
and adjust the reed shape and offset from the front half of the reed.

I *think* we are explaining a similar thing.  That's where writing this
stuff down is difficult.  I don't think there is a universal understanding
of some of the tier two vocabulary we use.  We talk about reed curves and
arcs, but don't have a constant reference of what is an arc, how much that
arc should or shouldn't be, etc.

So I suppose the Idiot's Guide to Gapping least we need to know is you want
the reed entering the slot fairly simultaneously at all points, which would
require a relatively flat reed whose off set (gap) begins gradually from
the reed pad and not abruptly from the reed tip.

The issue with an abrupt curve, IME, is you lose response...I don't think
anyone is suggesting you do that, and AFAIK, any online or video resources
I've seen haven't show people in the know doing that, but I can see where
some explanations may confuse that.
----------
Mike Fugazzi
vocals/harmonica
http://www.mikefugazzi.com
Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/MikeFugazziMusic>
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Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
<http://www.mikefugazzi.com/fr_customharmonicas.cfm>



On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 3:06 PM, Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> IF a reed is straight at rest, then it must bend downward into a curve to
> enter the slot.  All of the bending can not and should not occur right at
> the rivet end.  The bending and the stress that it causes need to be spread
> over the length of the reed for longer life.  If the reed has a gentle
> upward curve, (tangent to the plate at the rivet and passing through the
> upper extent of the gap) then it straightens out as it bends down to enter
> the slot.  Thus the initially-curved reed seems best to meet the
> flat-when-it-closes door analogy.
>
> Sissy Jones' method makes a lot of sense to me.  Before she retired, she
> probably gapped more reeds in a day than most of us do in a year.
>
> The truth may be that it doesn't make much difference and we are splitting
> hairs
>
> Vern
>
>
> On Sep 26, 2012, at 10:24 AM, Mike Fugazzi wrote:
>
> > The correct way is whatever works for you.  I think some terms like reed
> > arc/curve are misleading, as the goal initially was to REMOVER the
> > arc/curve.  At any rate, my preference is straight with the gap coming
> from
> > an angle towards the back of a reed.  Richard Sleigh does a fantastic job
> > describing this in his book.  I've see the analogy of a closing door
> > credited to Joe Filisko.  That is a good way to think of it too.
> >
> > If you look at a current stock harp, you'll see that they are fairly flat
> > to begin with, but often vary in how they sit within the reedslot.  As a
> > general rule of thumb, I've found that flat reeds gapped approximately
> the
> > width of the reed tip is a good starting point.  I say general, as
> factors
> > such as key of the harmonica and the force with which you play is going
> to
> > influence your gaps.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wednesday, September 26, 2012 11:10:36 AM UTC-5, Brian Stear wrote:
> >>
> >> As I’ve actually just started to take to gapping my harmonicas ( funny,
> >> I’ve always tuned the octaves and such and didn’t think about gapping )
> I
> >> too, would like to know the correct way. I’ve seen them straight, and
> >> straight with a slight curve from 1/2 the way up on the reed. Thank God
> >> they play either way! Maybe Steve Baker or someone else from Hohner,
> >> Suzuki, etc. can set us “newbies” straight.
> >>
> >> Brian
> >>
>
>
>