Re: [Harp-L] Full length covers




----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Hunter" <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Full length covers



Vern wrote:

I posit that attempts to produce perceptible effects by
small changes in cover design are wasted effort. The
function of the covers is to keep your lips and hands off of
the reeds. Otherwise, the harmonica sounds little different
with no covers at all.

Well, this is very interesting. I believe the Special 20s I have fitted with Turbolids sound and play differently than they do with standard Special 20 covers. In particular, I think the low end punches harder and the whole harp sounds louder. I don't know for sure that it's not my imagination, or that I just think the low end must punch harder because the Turbolids have a big bulge in the low end. But I would rather play a G Special 20 with Turbolids than without them, unless I was playing a piece where I had to put a lot of the low end of the harp into my mouth, like for example some of my solo pieces. That bulge eats up a lot of room, and it makes it harder to play wide intervals (like 10ths, 12ths, double octaves, etc.).

I have my doubts about resonances within turbolids because the dimensions are still very small with respect to the wavelengths and there is no tubular cavity not open to the back. I don't play diatonics but I always thought of Turbolids as a way to fit the harp to the hand for comfortable cupping. Could the difference that you perceive be attributed to your hand cup and not to resonance under the covers?


However, I would characterize a turbolid as a large difference in design, not a small one such as the subject difference between full length and tabbed covers. I think that the "Trumpet Call" harps with the little horn bells on the covers are laughable. Consider also the CBH2016 that has partitions to confine every reed to its own separate passage under the covers and doesn't sound all that different from other chromatics.

Vern





This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.