Re: [Harp-L] Bending reeds on Chromatic Harmonica, a done thing?

[Zombor Kovacs <zrkovacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

Bending reeds on a Chromatic or a diatonic can be done
in the same way. Remove the covers, take a pointed
object - eg. toothpick or needle - pick the reed and
bend it to the required shape. After this modification
your harmonica will be completely useless, but unique.

However if you want to bend notes, it makes more sense
and is different on a chromatic than on a diatonic. On
a diatonic, both the draw and blow reeds are
participating in the bend. The momentary frequency of
the bend on the diatonic is the average of the natural
frequencies of the draw and the blow reed. 
This means that any frequency between the natural
frequency of the draw reed and the blow reed can be
produced. The bend is initiated by changing the shape
of your oral cavities to create a different resonating
chamber which would make the other reed start
resonating more and more so that in the end only this
other reed is vibrating. So at the beginning of a
drawbend the draw reed vibrates only and as you go on,
the blow reed takes over, finally completely.

On the chromatic it is different, because only one
single reed is participating in a bend since the reeds
are isolated from each other. Always only one reed is
vibrating if you blow one hole. The frequency of the
vibration is altered again by the shape of your oral
cavities, but during the process there is no other
reed which resonates better in the resonating chamber
with new geometry so finally the bend chokes. 
It is less stable and more difficult to sustain. 

Z


--- Nate in the Blues Room <thebluesroom@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Please excuse me if this question has been asked
> many times before but
> I've been wondering for the longest time if bending
> reeds on a Diatonic
> harmonica
> is done in the same way on a Chromatic harmonica? Or
> is this like a doh!
> kinda
> question....?
> 
> Nate
> 
> Blues is the roots, everything else is the fruits ~
> Willie Dixon
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> 


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