Re: Tinkering (was RE: [Harp-L] Re: Soaking A Hohner Marine Band)

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

J Compton wrote:
<...my new system is not to open any new harps until I've found a cure
<for my tinkering compulsion.Anyone else struggle with this tinkering compulsion?
<Has anyone a recovering tinkerer that can give me some advice?  I admit I have a
<problem...I'm pretty sure that's the first step.

Seems to me like the real solution is to find a method for tweaking the harp that makes it sound better than it does out of the box.  Otherwise, you have to play whatever you get out of the box.  Granted that harp quality is a lot better now than it used to be; the fact is that practically no harp I buy is set up for the way I play right out of the box. 

Here's what I do with every new harp, regardless of brand:

1) Remove the harp from the box.  This is VERY important.  You can't play the harp until you take it out of the box!  For many people, this step alone solves a myriad of problems.

Okay, feeble attempt at humor over.  Thanks for your patience.

2) Take off the cover plates.
3) Check tuning by playing octaves.  Re-tune any notes that need it.  Robert Bonfiglio suggested to me once that I ought to tune the low octave reeds a bit sharp in order to compensate for the high volume I use in the bottom octave (which tends to make the reeds play flat), but I still don't do that.  I generally try to make sure the harp is in tune with itself at moderate volume.
4) "Emboss" the reed slots by dragging a penny sideways down the length of each slot on the side of the reed plate where the reed is fastened.  I have to remove the reed plates to do this to the blow reed plate.
5)  Reassemble the reed plates, then set the gaps for all reeds that need it.  I generally set the gaps lower than I used to, because wider gaps make for a leakier harp.  But I don't set them as low as most overblowers do.  In case it's not obvious by now, this is a matter of taste and playing style--if you like to play hard, set the gaps higher.  (I don't play as hard as I used to, because I now think harps sound better when you don't play so hard.)
6)  Open up the backs of the cover plates with a pliers, using a cloth to protect the plates from scratching.  This generally means squeezing the "lip" on the plates down flat with the pliers.  This seems to make the harps louder.  I like the look of it too.  
7)  Put the cover plates back on and start playing.

Pro harp techs may disagree on the order in which these steps should be performed.  If so, do what the harp tech says, not what I say.  Harp techs also have other techniques that involve doing lots of stuff to the reeds to change the arc of the reed, etc.  This stuff is beyond me, and in any case it's the difference between a harp by Filisko, Gordon, etc. and a harp tweaked by me.  If you want a top-notch customized harp, forget everything I just told you and contact a harp tech immediately; that's certainly one way to get over your desire to tweak the harp endlessly.

The routine described above consistently produces harps that player louder with less effort.  The biggest things are tuning, gapping, and embossing the slots.  Do those, and your harps will be improved.  

And, of course, make sure to take the harp out of the box before you do any of this stuff.  Or leave the harp in the box--that'll solve the endless tweaking problem for sure.

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
latest mp3s always at http://www.broadjam.com/rhunter