Re: [Harp-L] 4 Blow Reed Failures - Is it just me?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I'm certainly not trying to shut down the discussion. I'm just trying to answer the question directly and briefly.
 
For the more experienced players, there may be more in this subjec that is worth exploring, and by all means, let's get into it. Personal experience varies, of course. In 40 years, I've broken perhaps one or two Blow 4 reeds, while others find they fail more frequently.
 
But the person who first asked for their own personal information and benefit deserves a clear and concise answer, and for his direct benefit the "playing too hard" answer is the right one.
 
Winslow

Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Sat, 12/20/08, 46long Blake <46long@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: 46long Blake <46long@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] 4 Blow Reed Failures - Is it just me?
To: "bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx, gwoodhouse40@xxxxxxx
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2008, 1:32 PM

Yeah, well, I don't see the use of using this question as yet another
opportunity to bash players for playing too hard. Yes, it's a valid point
in
both it fatigues your harps and hurts your agility and tone. Fine. We could
also get into the reasons that even more proficient players might "play
too
hard" - not being able to hear yourself and thinking that playing harder
will help, etc.  But simply dismissing an interesting question as being the
fault of "bad playing" is just going to shut it down, limit the
discussion,
discourage debate, and intimidate people from posting. Seriously, it's as
if
one of my literature students came to me and said, "Why am I having a
difficult time understanding Shakespeare, since I do so well with most other
authors?"  And  I say something back like, "Because you suck!" 
or, more
subtly, "Because you're too damn immature to get it."

So, perhaps there's a more sophisticated answer out there. Even if the
player is playing too hard, why is it that the 4 blow reed is, even for me
(for what that's worth), the reed that dies exponentially more than any
other. In fact, I don't think I've had any other reed go bad for me in
the
last 6-7 years. Doesn't matter if it's a stock Special 20 or a Sleigh
custom. It's always the 4 blow.

Perhaos it's because blues players use that 4 hole bend more than any other
note. I dunno - I haven't done a study.

 - Blake

On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 3:36 PM, bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx <
bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>
> -- Glenn and Debbie Woodhouse <gwoodhouse40@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I am experiencing what seems like an inordinate rate of 4 blow reed
> failures on my diatonics (Bushman primarily, and Lee Oskar).  I am finally
> noting this due to what I think are two main factors:
>
> 1)  More hours - Although I have been playing for over 25 years, I have
> joined a band and been playing semi-professionally for the last year, so
my
> harps are seeing more play time overall.  This is not a huge number but in
> the order of 5-10 hours per week spread over 8+ keys.
>
> 2)  Bushman Harps - I really like the sound, comfort, and price of the
> Bushman Delta Frosts but out of 6 that I have bought over the last 8
months
> or so I have had 3 4B reeds fail within a few weeks to three months of
play
> time.  Has anyone else been experiencing this problem with Bushman.  My
Lee
> Oskar failures have taken much longer.
>
> I don't feel like the 4B gets nearly the "work-out" that
many of the draw
> reeds do playing blues.  Is there something about the harmonic frequency
at
> some keys of 4B that fails faster with brass and phosphor bronze (my most
> recent failures are 2 on a Bushman C harp, 1 Bushman F, 1 Lee Oskar Am). 
Is
> the 4 draw and 4D bending the culprit?  These certainly see more of a
> work-out.
>
> I have been slowly migrating my harps to the Seydel 1847's and have
yet to
> have any tuning or reed failure issues with the stainless steel reeds over
> the last 6-8 months of use.  Although the 1847's sound a little
"mellow" to
> my ears for my blues playing preference, this reed failure experience may
> seal the deal for me continuing on exclusively with Seydel even with the
> price being 3X.  I really love the fit and feel of the 1847's.
>
> Any insights and experiences from the community would be appreciated.
>
> Hi,
> There's something here that I see that you clearly don't. It
really comes
> down to your playing technique, specifically when you're bending
notes. Why?
> Many diatonic players have a tendency to use far too much breath force,
and
> this is stepped up significantly in the note bending process. Why? The two
> reeds in the hole are interacting in order to do the bending as well as
> overblows and if you were to take off the coverplates and then proceed to
> bend the note, place your finger over the 4 blow and quickly you'll
see the
> bend stops, and it's the BLOW reed doing the bending. In the upper
register,
> it's the DRAW reed doing this. The most likely culprit is that you are
using
> FAR TOO MUCH breath force in your playing, and it gets further magnified
> when you do your bends, and the force is getting EASILY qaudrupled and so
as
> a result, you've been blowing out 4 draws in harps very quickly,
especially
> in harps from the key of D and higher. What you need to do is learn better
> breath con!
>  trol, especially on the bends or risk blowing them quick, regardless of
> reed materials, manufacturer, or anything else.
>
> Something else here, especially regrding the Seydel 1847's. These and
the
> new Suzuki Fabulous have a far tighter reed slot tolerance (the distance
> between the edges of the reed and the edges of the wall of the slot that
the
> reed vibrates in) and the tighter the tolernce, the LESS air you need to
> play them and if you continue playing with excessive breath force with
harps
> that have tight tolerances (and that also includes customs, which are even
> tighter than that by a mile), you'll blow these out pretty fast too.
>
> Too many players tend to blame the harps, gear, or anything else FIRST
> before considering what more often than not is the REAL problem usually
is,
> and that's playing with EXCESSIVE breath force AKA blowing them WAY
too
> damned hard ALL THE TIME, which is the single biggest cardinal sin of harp
> players and a problem few players are gonna want to admit to. It not only
> hurst harp longevity, it also hurts your tone control, control of
> bends/overblows, kills your dynamics, and kills your agility  on the
> instrument.
>
> Obviously, this may not be what you want to hear, but you need to
seriously
> consider it, and hat I'm telling you is the cold, hard, brutal truth.
>
> Sincerely,
> Barbeque Bob Maglinte
> Boston, MA
> http://www.barbequebob.com
> MP3's: http://music.mp3;izard.com/barbequebob/
>
>
>
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