Subject: Re: [Harp-L] The shapes of the covers

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Well, you may be out to bust myths, Vern...but I have a question as to just  
what  constitutes a myth?:
 
 Noone in any of these discussions has (to my  recollection) claimed that 
it's about what the 'listeners' can hear or  not...and to my mind it matters 
little.  The player is the thing...and if  the player ain't happy...ain't nobody 
happy...  

Which human ear are you talking about: yours? mine? Howard Levy's? the kid  
down the street's?....from everything I understand about hearing,  I absolutely 
believe that it is an entirely subjective thing: we  all have different  
levels of ability to hear...and I'd bet that the brain  of not a single one of us 
interprets sound exactly the same way as everyone  else's.  
 
If a player likes the sound and 'tone' he/she gets from different cover  
plates, harp bodies, amps, cupping vs non-cupping...pa's or wireless  mics...there 
is absolutely no test yet (as far as I know) which will  refute that ability 
to hear his or her own music and the minute  nuances involved. One simply 
cannot be inside another's head...or ears, or  have any idea what's going on 
there...
 
 Heck, there are even people with profound hearing loss dependent  on hearing 
aids or other devices to hear any sound at  all who can still play music 
extremely well. I wouldn't dream of deciding  for them just what or how it is they 
are hearing, so how can you  possibly decide for everyone else?  Why not 
allow for the possibility that  the player might be hearing something entirely 
different from  yourself...and yes...also from the 'listeners" (any and all who 
could be  for all we know, suffering from varying degrees of hearing loss as 
well) and who  cannot be close enough to hear what the performer is hearing?
 
...and a machine IS just a machine, for a' that...
 
I certainly don't mind at all your enjoying the role of curmudgeon, it's  the 
flat, blanket statements about something even science hasn't yet figured out  
that I think could stand some scrutiny once in a while...
 
Here's a link to the role the brain plays:
 
_http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=Ahearing.htm&url=http://www.hh
mi.org/senses/_ 
(http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=Ahearing.htm&url=http://www.hhmi.org/senses/) 
 
and here's an excerpt which seems to bear out a bit of my own very personal  
humble opinion...
 
 
"When these hair cells are moved, they send an electrical impulse through the 
 cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve sends these impulses on to  the cerebral 
cortex, where the brain interprets them. The brain determines the  pitch of 
the sound based on the position of the cells sending electrical  impulses. 
Louder sounds release more energy at the resonant point along the  membrane and so 
move a greater number of hair cells in that area. The brain  knows a sound is 
louder because more hair cells are activated in an area.  
The cochlea only sends raw data -- complex patterns of electrical impulses.  
The brain is like a central computer, taking this input and making some sense 
of  it all. This is an extraordinarily complex operation, and scientists are 
still a  long way from understanding everything about it. 
In fact, hearing in general is still very mysterious to us. The basic  
concepts at work in human and animal ears are fairly simple, but the specific  
structures are extremely complex. Scientists are making rapid advancements,  
however, and they discover new hearing elements every year. It's astonishing how  
much is involved in the hearing process, and it's even more amazing that all  
these processes take place in such a small area of the body."  
Elizabeth 
**************** 
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:45:45 -0700
From: "Vern Smith"  <jevern@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] The shapes of the covers
To:  <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID:  <004a01c8e375$9110b850$d0f673d8@user292e480637>
Content-Type:  text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response

As harp-l's self-appointed, skeptical old curmudgeon,  I hear the call of 
duty to bust another myth.

There is nothing about  the acoustics of the harmonica that suggests that the 
covers play any role  in the generation of the sound.  The covers define the 
shape of the  sound passage from the reeds to your ear.  They might 
conceivably  affect the coupling of the sound to the outside air as does the 
bell of a  horn.  They might have a slight effect on loudness but not  tone.

Because the human ear has a logarithmic response, small changes of  sound 
energy are imperceptible.

I predict that in a blind comparison  of machine-blown diatonics, listeners 
could not distinguish between groups  of harps with covers and no covers 
(much less covers having minor design  differences) by the sound alone.  I 
suggest that any effort to achieve  nuances of tone (warm, bright, etc.) by 
means of cover design is  wasted.

Vern
Visit my harmonica website  www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From:  "John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
To: <lavoie@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc:  <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 2:57 AM
Subject:  [Harp-L] The shapes of the covers


> Mark,
> What effect do  vented covers (Big River, Marine Band) have as  compared to 
>  unvented covers (Mesterklasse, Golden Melody, Promaster)  or very slightly 
 
> vented vented covers (Proharp)?
> JP
>  _______________________________________________





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