Re: [Harp-L] Combs!

[Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In my experience there is one important difference regarding comb  
material - where the saliva goes! In the old days unsealed wooden  
combs absorbed saliva - we used to soak the harps before playing live  
usually in water but beer was known. Nowdays when I play keenly into a  
plastic or metal comb, I get sprayback. Sealed wooden combs slightly  
less sprayback, unsealed wooden combs even less. I still find the  
sprayback disconcerting.
Richard
On 19 Sep 2008, at 21:28, Vern Smith wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
> To: "Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 9:20 AM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Combs!
>
>
> > Vern,
> > True enough.  But I  don't know that "Summertime" which is a very   
> > melodic tune would be as good a test workout for tone as it is   
> > affected by changing airflow as, for example, Butterfield's "To  
> > Many  Drivers" might be,  but a tune like that would introduce a  
> > lot of  variables that would be difficult to keep constant.  Oh  
> > well....
> > JP
>
> I'll bet if you asked a hundred people to name a suitable test  
> ditty, you would get a hundred answers.
>
> I argue that the more complex the ditty, the more extraneous  
> variables there are to obscure subtle differences of tone.  If there  
> are differences of tone arising from comb materials, should they not  
> appear in a single machine-blown note?
>
> Vern
> Visit my harmonica website www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com
>
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Richard Hammersley
Grantshouse, Scottish Borders
http://www.last.fm/music/Richard+Hammersley
http://www.myspace.com/rhammersley
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