Re: [Harp-L] Will chromatics one day be valveless?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Compensation for lack of airtightness is not the only value that
players find in windsaver valves.

Even with a completely airtight instrument, the timbre is affected by
the presence or absence of valves. In a two-reed chamber, with one
being blow and one being draw and their pitches being different, the
higher pitched reed in each hole will tend to one sort of timbre and
response and the lower pitched reed in the same hole will tend to
another, creating two different classes of timbre and response. Valving
all reeds breaks this relationship and thereby creates greater evenness
of both timbre and response. 

Some players will value the consistency offered by valves, while others
will prefer the duality of two types of timbre and response. Then there
is the half-valving camp.

Winslow

--- Serguei Volkov <svolkov@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Now that I've introduced myself, please allow me to ask
> one first question.
> 
> This is a question to people from Hohner, Seydel, as well
> as the custom harmonica builders.
> 
> Has there been extensive research on a valveless harmonica
> design (i don't mean Koch or Seydel standard)? What I mean
> is have there been efforts made to create an airtight slide
> mechanism, which would render valves unnecessary?
> 
> I suppose there have, because it seems such a natural issue
> to address. Is there a fundamental flaw in this concept?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Sergei
> 
> ~
> http://www.myspace.com/outlawbe
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
> 



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go 
with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail