Re: [Harp-L] RE: Combs - I surrender with my last word

[Frank Evers <frank@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

Derwood Blues writes:

> "I realize that all musical instruments are not the same. But sound
> is produced by moving air and there are similarities in a guitar
> and harmonica
> that are not there in a guitar and siren.

 Jonathan Ross answers:

> The guitar
> string works as, well, a string (technically a chordophone, sp),
> whereas the harmonica reed is an idiophone(sp).  In many ways the
> harmonica reed is more similar to a struck bar such as in a marimba
> or glockenspiel than a string.

I guess you're wrong both. A harmonica works pretty much like a siren. 
In both cases an airflow is rhythmically cut into pieces, which 
results in a tone of a specific frequency.
It's a common misunderstanding, that  harmonica sound comes from the 
swinging reed. In fact the reed is just the cutter for the airflow 
that passes through the reed slots. Of course the reed makes it's own 
sound too, it's what you hear when you "plink" it, and you can 
amplify it if you plink the reed while the reedplate's edge leans on 
a guitar body. Thats not what you hear when you blow through a 
harmonica though.

-- 
Gruß,Frank