[Harp-L] Bonfiglio and breaking in

["Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MLeFree" <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 9:53 AM
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] breaking in marine bands

> Good to have you back, Vern.  How did your week with Maestro Bonfiglio go?

For me it was an exhilirating experience.  I was a giddy fan able to spend a
week in the home of  his favorite celebrity and jog, ride in the car, swim,
eat meals, ask questions, etc.  Of course the most important thing was the
seminar.  He is an articulate instructor with a strong, clear voice.  He
breaks his technique down into elements.  He domonstrates each, then tells
you in detail what to do with hands, lips, tongue, embouchure and breath to
accomplish it.  He explains when and why to use it.  He hands out material
to practice and CD to show how.  Although he impressed us with his command
of music and the instrument, his motivation seemed to be to enable us to do
as well.   I cannot think of a single thing about his seminar to
criticize...and that is unusual for an old curmudgeon like me.    He has
tentative plans to do it again next year at the Grand Canyon.  I would
highly recommend it to anyone serious about improving their chromatic
playing.


> I'm thinking that what happens when Tinus hooks his harps to his vacuum
> cleaner is not so much breaking them in as stress testing them.  The reeds
> that cannot survive the procedure are identified as weak and are replaced.
> The ones that do survive remain.  The aggregate leaves a high percentage
> of
> reeds proven to be "tough enough to take licking and keep on ticking."  In
> the end the procedure results in a more robust instrument that actually
> ~is~
> likely to last longer.  He proactively replaces the reeds that would
> otherwise fail during play, probably at a crucial moment.  He's defying
> Murphy's law!  8^)

> At least that's the way I see it.

I see it the exactly same way.  However, overstressing the reeds to force
infant mortalities could hardly be called "breaking in".  Vacuum cleaners
typically produce vacuum pressures of 80 inches of water at low flow.
Unless he has a big bypass or slows the machine down by reducing the voltage
(as I have done), then he is putting a terrible strain on the reeds.  A
normal player blowing/drawing very hard will only generate about 10-15
inches of water.

Vern
Visit my harmonica website: http://www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com