[Harp-L] 9 and 10 blow out

[Captron100@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 3/30/05 10:23:10 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx writes:
i'm doing some songs that i'm doing some 9 and 10 blows on a c harp.my 
problem is they don't work. the harps are only 2 weeks old.they are marine 
bands.is 
there anyway i can repair this problem??
Assuming that the reeds are not ruined by playing too hard, and assuming that 
u don't have lint or somesuch stuck in the reeds, my guess is that proper 
gapping will cure the problem.  U should be able to get them to sound if u simply 
increase the gap a tiny bit.  Since the harps are MBs (plates held together 
with nails) and the offending reeds are blow notes, u can't easily disassemble 
the harp to hold down the base of the reed as u gently bend the reed's end.  I 
like to hold down at the base/ root of a reed - it seems to insure that I 
don't alter the curvature of the reed; altho if it's not a customized harp is 
prob. a moot point since the reeds prob. won't have any curvature to them.  If i 
were u, to gap these harps, i'd prob. just use a toothpick or non-scratching 
tool, to poke the free end of the offending reeds down thru the top of the 
slots, to increase the gap by just a tiny bit.  This i would do rather than remove 
the blow plate.  
  This disassembly of MB's is one of the reasons i long ago switched to SP 20 
and other harps which are held together with screws.
  I'll watch this thread as i defer to harp-L'ers who are more qualified to 
advise u on this matter.
ron