[Harp-L] gapping harps out-of-the-box

[Jim McBride <jpmcbride@xxxxxxxxx>]

The question was asked about how people gap their harps. I recently started working on my harps and there has been some experimentation on my part to determine where the gap needed to be set to play best for me. Originally I started by closing the gaps down, but was not getting the results I expected. After seeing Adam Gussow's YouTube video, I tried opening up some gaps and it helped make the 3 draw bend easier to control on some of my harps, particularly the lower key ones. By the way, Adam's method of using a piece of paper to "field gap" a harp works great!
   
  So my question to you experienced gappers is "can you provide a short summary of how you set the gap for a particular response". Obviously gapping is a complex subject, the proper gap depends on the person, the harp, the type of playing, etc... But what I'm looking for is some general guidelines. For example:
  (1) Small gaps for overblows
  (2) Larger gaps for players with a hard attack
  (3) Gaps to make regular bending easier/smoother?
   
  Also, are you guys trying to shape your reeds when you gap? Keeping the reed flat to the slot with just the tip turning up above the slot?
   
  Thanks,
  Jim McBride
   

 
---------------------------------
The fish are biting.
 Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing.