[Harp-L] Harpie on CX 12 vs. CX 12

[Snaruhn@xxxxxxx]

Wooh,

when Harpie asked me whether he´s allowed to write again something
to the list I gave him this subject suspecting that he would have 
difficulties
with the matter. In fact, he lamented how a thing can act against itself? 

That´s not fair, Dad, that I have to talk about such a nonsense. Do you
mean I´m a budgerigar shadow-boxing with his mirror image?

Well, Harpie, even persons can fight against themselves or did you forget
the German soccer world games when the French master player Zinédine 
Zidane helped Italy to win the championship by knocking down his Italian
counterpart? 

The same goes for the patented CX 12 I often named to be the chromatic 
of the future. Meanwhile the CX is soon no longer a teenager. 

Besides the reedplate screws the CX has no other screws. So, CX players 
can only smile on Steve Moanderbluz` subject "A loose screw ( and it wasn't 
me)". 

But because nothing is perfect the CX 12 has its weak points most of 
them I mentioned in my "CX 12 story" a couple of years ago. 

This time Harpie should speak about the big CX slide holes as a consequence 
of the crossed reed layout or reversely, who knows. But he said that the 
matter is too serious to make jokes about. Perhaps he had some ideas later.

Besides harp problem no.1, the air tightness, the air flow to the reeds 
isn´t less important. That´s why I recently mentioned my feeling that the 
original CX need more air than my straight one.

At this exemplar I changed all details of the crossed version. I retuned
every second reed, made two plastic layers with the smaller holes of the 
straight position each for the comb chambers AND the mpc, and provided 
a straight slide fitting to the coiled CX spring.

The point at changing another CX is that I thought it sufficient to make
a layer with small holes for the slide only, simultaneously, considering 
an effect known at all chromatics.

When pushing the slide halfway the basic note and its # note
can be played together, R. Hunter mentioned in his "Jazz Harp"  
as a Toots` effect. Maybe it´s an allowed effect, however, in such 
a slide position there´s also only half of the airstream for each of 
the 2 chambers though only for a fraction of a moment.     

So, I positioned the holes in a way that the moving slide opens 
a chamber exactly in the moment when the neighboured one closes. 
That means for the same fraction of a moment that both chambers
are closed but this isn´t noticeable because of the usual slide speed. 
OTOH, the chambers can´t be played together as intended.

Then I made the crucial sound test with 3 CX 12s, the straight, the
unchanged crossed, and the modified crossed one.

The straight and the crossed original didn´t show a difference of the
loudness. But though the modified CX had no air holes it was noticable 
fainter. Additionally, the bending wasn´t as easy as at the other ones.

Uff, I hadn´t expected that but found an explanation. I´m still convinced 
that the straight reed layout with its smaller holes of comb, slide and 
mpc parts give a higher air pressure to the reeds by physical reasons.

Upshot: It´s not enough to change the slide holes only. All other parts
have to be adjusted to the small holes as well, otherwise, the wanted 
concentration of the airstream can´t be achieved because of the
different diameters of the airstream.

Here, Harpie, couldn´t resist any longer. 

Hey, Dad, you always considers me a stupid guy though I found out        
that the 12 mpc holes of an 48 chrom corresponds to the 12 keys. 
But you are as lazy as I´m stupid. Same as the French soccer Zidane 
you knocked out yourself. 

At your so-called "sound test" you didn´t check a CX 12 vs. another 
CX 12 but vs. a miserable piece of work having only the appearance 
of a CX 12. 

So, I warmly recommend not to fumble around a harp made of massive 
plastic but to accept that the CX 12 can be improved only by people
knowing the difference of a harp and a harmonica.

Ufff, Harpie, I see that you have invested all your grind into your speech
being your last one for a long time, promised.

Harpfried