Re: [Harp-L] comb material (was big sound)

[G <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>> Zombor wrote:
>> >> "I am looking for some info on harp sound."
>Jonathan R. Ross wrote:
>> > If you search the archives with the words "comb
>> material" you'll find a
>> > veritable treasure trove of information on the
>> subject of comb material
>> > and the sound of harmonicas.  There have been very
>> large debates over
>> > and again on the subject.  
>'G' wrote:
>> I think this article summarises the entire ongoing
>> debate adequately...
>> http://www.angelfire.com/music/harmonica/combmaterials.html
>>
Zombor Kovacs <zrkovacs@xxxxxxxxx> wrote
>  I have already read that article. What is the point
>making different comb materials then?
>What is the way of amplifying the sound in a
>non-electronic way then?

Hello Zombor,
  The point of different comb materials is for providing a stable base for
the instrument to be installed on, cost is another factor, and asthetics.

  In terms of increasing volume, there's only so much can be done, and most
of it is about  avoiding ways of reducing volume by the design of the harp.  
  In addition to having an ideally set up instrument with no leaks between
the comb and reedplates, with chromatics you want as little leakage around
the slide assembly although its impossible to eliminate (~slide~ assembly
Vern ;), you also want to have relatively tight tolerances between the reed
slots and reeds themselves, reed setup can affect potential volume to a
certain degree, and the design of the covers play a part.  If you're trying
to get heard acoustically, a regular tactic is to tune the harmonica
sharper, eg. setting the tuner to A=444Hz or higher when fine tuning.
  And you can increase the volume of your instrument by the way you cup it,
a very quick demonstration is yelling to someone some distance away from
you, what do you do if they don't hear you properly?  
 Yeah, you put your hands to your mouth.  It's the same principle.  It
takes a fair amount of practice and requires adjustments across the range
of the instrument, so don't expect immediate results.
  However the simplist way to make the instrument louder, is sound
reinforcement and/or amplification.
Cheers,
-- G.