Re: G harp's killing me

[Dick Anderson <anderson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Re:
>
>> Bigger reeds make the G harder to bend. Takes more air to get them
>> moving.

The reeds have more mass than an A harp, but they are identical in size.
I measured all my Golden Melody harps with a micrometer and the length and
width of all hole #1 reeds on harps from G up to C is the same.  Hohner
just varies the mass of the reed to change the pitch.

>
>    Physicists in the audience?  How much more than the reeds on an A,
>which I bend all over the place?  Since I've been playing the A for over
>a year with no trouble, advice aimed at beginners who can't bend
>anything at all (such as `practice, practice, practice') is unlikely to
>help.
>
>> 2.  Adjust  the  "action"  of the lower  reeds.  The draw  reeds are the
>>     obvious place to begin, but the blow reeds if set too high will leak
>>     more air too.  (Action is the  distance  between the tip of the reed
>>     and the  plane of the  reed  plate.)  For  general  use, 1 to 2 reed
>>     thicknesses  is the  corect  height.  You might  want to go lower or
>
>This sounds worth while.  How do you do it?
>
You bend,(very carefully), the reed either down or up from the plate until it
is at the "right" level.  You have to disassemble the plates from the comb
to get at the blow reeds. Either that or use a pick and go in through the
holes in the comb.  Work slowly and check your work by playing a little
after each adjustment.  You can push the reed down toward the plate with
your fingernail.

Question: Can you get all 3 bent notes on your A harp on 3 draw?  And the two
bent notes on 2 draw?  If you can, then I'll buy your argument that
practice might not be the factor here.
>


--

Dick Anderson  CCMO Component Engineering        Telnet                 229-3110
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