[Harp-L] re: All of this Comb talk...

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Smokey Joe writes:

"My intent was to query as to WHY is it that a person cannot have a  
preference for a comb material (or whatever) yet there are those who  
wax eloquenty on and on ad infinitum about the attributes of  
amplifiers and microphones, processors, and recorders. My feeling was  
that whatever the player thinks is alright is fine with me and they  
should have that right. I mean, there are a lot of threads 'I' think  
are silly. But I wouldn't go so far as to be militant about it.  
Sometimes I tease and it gets me in trouble."


Feel free to believe whatever you want.  I like aluminum, thus I like  
aluminum combs.  That has nothing whatsoever in any way shape or form  
to do with the question of whether comb material difference effects  
the sound or performance of the harmonica.  That is a physical  
question, which can be measured, examined, studied and tested.  It is  
an objective fact, which may not yet be determined but can be.   
Whether one likes a certain material or not and how this might effect  
their performance is an entirely different topic.  Not an unworthy  
one by any means--indeed, it is quite important--but a different one.

I believe this example has been used before, but consider loudness.   
The volume of a sound can be measured, usually in decibels.  This is  
an exact number which represents a physical action.  Whether a sound  
is _too_ loud is a question of personal taste.  But, that has no  
bearing on the measure of how loud the sound is in decibels.

The same is true for the material of harmonica combs: whether or not  
a change in the comb material changes the sound of the harmonica can  
be measured and tested; whether someone prefers one material to  
another is a question of personal taste.

In physical terms, the harmonica is nothing special.  It is a  
mechanical device, specifically a musical instrument.  It behaves  
according to the same physical laws as anything else.  As harmonica  
players we put a great deal of emotional investment into our  
instruments, but in mechanical terms they are no more esoteric than  
the keyboard I'm typing this on.




 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()
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