Re: [Harp-L] XB-40 Harp

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Don Grubbs" <jgrud@xxxx> wrote:
I purchased a XB-40 some time back, and am having a hard time getting a 
good sound out of the hi end. I've tried playing softer, centering my 
lips over the hole, and thought maybe there was just a break-in period 
I had to go thru. I either get no sound, a squeaky sound, or on rare 
occasions out comes a clean sound.  
Could anyone shed some light on what I'm doing wrong?

============

Don - 

You don't say what key it's in. The C and regular D both have problems 
in the top two or three holes that are a design problem - the reed 
chambers have a resonant frequency that conflits with the pitch of the 
reeds and makes them play flat and weak-sounding. I'm told that the 
chambers are too BIG and need to be reduced in size (and here I was 
trying to sand them bigger - I'll have to try padding their walls with 
something in a way that doesn't impede the siwng of the reeds or the 
valves).

I have Low D, Low F, G, A, and Bb. I find they all play just fine. 
Counter to Steve Shaw's reported experience, I don't find they require 
an unusual amount of wind to play. Like any out-of-the-box harp they 
can do with a little adjustment for optimal playing.

The G and A are my favorite keys - the right balance of playability and 
tonal qualities. You can hear a blues intstrumental I wrote for the XB-
40 in A at:

http://planetharmonica.com/ph5/VE/Windermere.htm

Winslow