RE: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I think

["steve" <mudharp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

 Mr. Shaw,Listened to your music clips.  Well done!!  All that on a Low D, wow!   Next to blues the Irish tunes hit me right in the gut.  Sometimes I feel as though that's where my harp playing wants to go.  My bloodline goes back to the name ''Fry'' so I guess that makes sense.  I shall explore more by buying your CD and maybe another for my wife's folks.  THey dig that stuff. take care, steve --- On Sun 04/02, Steve Shaw < moorcot@xxxxxxx > wrote:From: Steve Shaw [mailto: moorcot@xxxxxxx]To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 02:23:35 +0100Subject: RE: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I thinkTry giving the harp a really good wash through, both front and back, in a stream of tepid water. Wrist-flick the excess water out (don't let go of the harp otherwise you might kill the cat), then tap it sharply against your leg. If it's still muffly, something could be stuck twixt reed and slot so poke it with something pointed - carefully. Make sure the gap is more or less the same as 
the gap of the other reed in that chamber - they need to be reasonably balanced. I've sometimes found that running a file gently along both long edges of the offending reed, then very gently across the top, can do the trick, without any obvious reason why. Just make sure too that there really isn't some impediment on the side of the reed-slot. If none of this works then the good Lord ain't on your side today. Try leaving the harp in a drawer for six months then carrying out the above steps again. If He's in a better mood you may succeed. I am speaking from personal experience.Stevehttp://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonicaHEAR my CD clips: http://www.gjk2.com/steveshaw/cd.htm>From: "Todd Johnson" >To: "'Steve Shaw'" ,>Subject: RE: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I think>Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 19:08:57 -0600>>Thanks again for the advice. I have another reed problem on Bb Sp20. 5d is>just kind of dull. I mean the tone is just not a clear as the others 
next >to>it. It holds its tuning but it just sounds kind of fuzzy. I've done a lot >of>reading on-line about reed adjustments and I've tried everything I know so>far. I believe the gap is the best it can be. I've tried other gaps to no>avail. I changed the gap in both directions until it won't play. I've>checked the centering and it appears fine. I've checked for burrs and there>don't seem to be any and it doesn't appear to be loose. I'm beginning to>think the reed is just not good right out of the box. Now that I'm going to>have replacement parts, I'm thinking about replacing this reed with >another.>Does anyone have any other ideas before I go to this extreme? Sorry to ask>questions that have been talked about before, but like I said, I'm kind of>new to all this.>>Thanks>>Todd Johnson>>-----Original Message----->From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On >Behalf>Of Steve 
Shaw>Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 4:29 PM>To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I think>>>I think one thing worth mentioning about the "non-centred reed" scenario is>that it's extremely unlikely to crop up suddenly in a harp that you've been>playing without problems for a good while. I must have bought over a>hundred off-the-shelf harps by now (ah, my misspent youth...) and I've had>the odd buzzing reed just once or twice that was due to a very slightly>off-centre reed or a reed with a little burr either on it or in its slot.>But if your reeds are nicely centred from the word go they are ~not~ going>to go off-centre unless you fiddle around with them yourself. A duff reed>that develops is either a dead 'un or else it has fluff stuck in it. I >have>>had mysterious gapping issues arising occasionally in older harps and why>that should happen is a complete puzzle to me. But what is life without 
>the>>odd mystery... ;-)>>Steve>>>http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonica>HEAR my CD clips: http://www.gjk2.com/steveshaw/cd.htm>>>_______________________________________________>Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org>Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx>http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l>_______________________________________________Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.orgHarp-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l

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