Re: [Harp-L] Out of the box vs customising

["Haka Harri" <harri.haka@xxxxxxxx>]

Garry, Thanks for a good answer. I will try out your suggestions for upgrading some of my harps. Only thing I can say from a debate point of view is: Would the literature written with quill pens have been much better if written on Microsoft Office Word 2003? :-)

Harri


> i'm also an amateur.  after a little bit of online research 
> (harmonicasessions.com 
> and overblow.com mostly), and a little bit of experimenting, 
> i've managed to get
> all of my harps to be much more responsive and easier to play.  
> 
> i don't do much to them, mostly arcing, gapping, and (lately) 
> embossing.  i also 
> open the backs up on special 20's and hering 1923's.  don't 
> know if it makes any
> difference, but it looks cool.
> 
> my tools consist of a set of eyeglass screwdrivers, 
> toothpicks, a broken popsicle
> stick, a socket for embossing, and a feeler guage set.  i 
> also open the backs up
> on special 20's.  don't know if it makes a difference, but it 
> looks cool.
> 
> the harps i use are already airtight.  i don't do wood, so 
> sealing is not an issue.
> retuning reeds is beyond my comprehension, let alone my 
> ability.  the only times
> i've gotten in trouble was from overembossing.  need to go 
> lightly with that, as 
> recovering is a pain.
> 
> what you might try is to tinker with an old harp, one that 
> doesn't play so well
> anymore.  adjust the gaps, maybe arc the reeds.  see if you 
> can bring it back
> to life.  if you don't like the result, and are happy with 
> off the rack, fine.  you've
> answered your own question.  if your results are good, you've 
> given yourself
> an option when one of your harps gets cranky.  as you get 
> better at it, you'll
> find that often one hole, or one bend, on some harp feels 
> slow or hard to hit 
> right.  pop the cover off, tweak a little, and you're good to 
> go.  it's very rewarding.
> 
> > Don't know for sure but I believe a good part of classic 
> harp has been 
> > performed with instruments out of the box (if even that).
> 
> a lot of great literature has been written using typewriters 
> or quill pens.
> doesn't mean that's the best approach.
> 
>