Re: Clicking G harp.

[hippo@xxxxxxxxxx (Hugh Messenger)]

At 10:18 9/6/94 -0400, Norbert Brunhuber wrote:
>  The clicking you are hearing is from the reed smacking into the cover
>plate.  All of the low pitched reeds on low keyed harps have the
>potential of doing this, particularly if drawing very hard.  I'm not sure
>though if there is detrimental to the life of the reed, or if people have
>done something to improve the situation.

It could also be a misaligned or 'burred' reed.

Eris - whip the cover plates off and look through the holes with a good
source of light behind the harp - tip the harp a little so you are looking
back out past the reeds.  Check that there is a line of light down both
sides of the affected reed, ie. it is not crooked and doesn't have little
'burrs' sticking out.  If it does, then you need to do some fixing (if it
ain't obvious how, mail back).

Norbert is probably right though - the bigger the reed, the more likely it
is to smack the cover plate.  The moral there is just don't blow so hard.
Try the lighter test ...

Take a cigarrette lighter, lit, and hold it about four to six inches from
your mouth.  Blow the flame out.  Now try again but blow soft enough that
the flame 'gutters' but doesn't go out.  That's about as much breath as you
need most of the time playing harp.  OK, it's an exageration (you need a
little more breath than this), but you get the idea.

   -- hugh