[Harp-L] making my own "melody maker" - question

["John Kerkhoven" <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

How far can one safely raise the pitch of a reed?

I'd like to convert a standard Special 20 into a "Melody Maker" (Lee Oskar
Melody Maker tuning).

This requires upping the 3 blow a full tone and upping the 5 and 9 draws a
half tone.

I'm not worried about raising reeds half a tone, but is it alright to raise
the 3 blow reed a full tone, or am I better off replacing that reed with one
of a higher pitch -- though it seems to me that it's a bad idea to have a
reed too short for the slot for reasons of air leakage.

Thanks,

John