[Harp-L] Hohner reeds and how not to choke

[diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx]

There should be some  clarification when we talk about Hohner reeds.  
I think the term "thinner" gives  the impression the reeds are not as thick as 
before and therefore will be more brittle.

The reeds are actually narrower but that is roughly from the middle to the tip 
and only slightly.  A narrower reeds' tip requires less air to get the reed to 
vibrate. If we use bending  methods we use with older stock harps then yes the 
reeds will fatigue faster.  The same is true for custom harps that have been set 
up to bend easier.  The failure starts in the bend not the blow. 

The mfg's and customizers try to make it easier for us to play, but we  acquire 
bad playing habits along the way then assume they are the cause of early reed 
failure.

I didn't like the newer reeds when I first started working on  them last winter  
but once I became accustomed to them I no longer think about it now.  There is a 
learning curve to everything in life. How fast we adjust is up to us.

I know a local guy that sucks out a reed out  every couple of years. He has been playing close to 40  years yet I 
can hear he never learned good playing techniques.  He doesn't understand the 
mechanics that you only need to bend so far to get the lowest bend note then 
everything else is extra stress on the reed.  You can hear him hit bad notes 
because he is still playing the harp after the reed goes flat from fatigue.  He 
continues to play it until it bends down in the slot or worse yet breaks off.  

Technically speaking a  reed will not play in tune then suddenly snap off.  
There will be a drop off in pitch first then the gap widens as the reed starts 
to drop into the slot.    Players should  play octaves up and down their harps 
before and after gigs to check the tuning of the harp. Even if you don't have a 
gig. (This works for both diatonic and chromatic players). Check your octaves 
when you pull your harps out. The failure could have started the last time you 
played and not when you picked the harp up to play the first tune on it that night.   A heavy beating octave is a dead giveaway of impending reed failure. If a 
player attacks reeds hard and loud when performing their focus may not be on the 
notes but on the effect that stressful playing creates when sounding the notes.   

Even new harps can fail the first time out due to poor playing habits.  I was a 
soundman for the first band I was in in my teens in the 70's. . They let me blow 
harp on Stormy Monday. I blew out a D MB  every week just playing one song. 
Since we didn't have an organist I played the harp like it was a Hammond B3.  I 
didn't realize I didn't need to bend or blow so hard.  

 I've seen and heard both pro and semi pro players exert too much effort on the 
reeds for effect. 
I set up a custom Marine Band for a pro player a few years ago and had him play 
it for me.  He said he couldn't get the 3 draw to bend. I took the harp and was 
able to easy produce the lowest bend note and the in between notes.  He was so 
use to being forceful he didn't realize he bent the reed past the point of playability and choked it off.  Rather then changing his forceful 
playing habits he passed on the harp. 

In the end how we choose to play is up to us. What we choose to play based on 
our habits is up to us. 
But a harp player in control his/her technique has a better chance of 
controlling most any harps without premature failure of the reeds.   Reed 
failure is a given. How and when is up to the player.

mike
harmonicarepair.com