Re: [Harp-L] Windsavers

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Just to amplify a little on Michael's (actually quite sane) remarks - 

If you take the covers off a chromatic, you can easily remove the valves (aka flaps aka windsavers) from the outside of the reedplates. if you do, the instrument will still play without being unbearably leaky, though you may notice some loss of airtightness.

However, if you also remove the valves from the insides of the holes, it will become too leaky to play without gasping just to produce a thin, airy, weak sound.

If you do remove the outside valves,  however, you may notice a few things:

1) You can now bend some of the draw notes in a way that sounds like the diatonic (you can bend the draw notes with valves on , but they won't sound like a diatonic)

2) you can bend the blow notes some, though the blow bends will sound different (you can bend them the same way with all the valves in place)

3) The draw notes and the blow notes will sound quite different from each other tonally (with all the valves in place, they will have a more uniform tonal quality).

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Sun, 2/1/09, Michael Polesky, MPA <m.polesky@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Michael Polesky, MPA <m.polesky@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Windsavers
To: "Randy Power" <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sunday, February 1, 2009, 8:01 PM

Hi Randy,

The wind savers are not "necessary" to make the harp work, but I
think you will find that the harmonica plays better with them than without -
although some players remove the wind savers - especially near the top end - to
get a more "diatonic" set of bends and sounds.  If you lose just one
wind saver, it is probably quite noticeable and you are faced with the problem
of whether to replace it or remove them all.  The wind saver literally saves
wind and helps you get a fuller tone from the reed in the otherwise relatively
leaky configuration of most chromatic harmonicas.

I would replace it with Bill Romel's wind savers or simply order wind
savers from the manufacturer - both of which you can do in quantity.  I
personally play with the wind savers and I have mine "clipped" on the
corners so there is less likely to be a coherent surface for moisture to create
tension upon for it to stick.  Go ahead and try to say that ten times fast ;-)! 
I also try to warm my instrument up before I play with a heating pad or
(something I picked up from Doug Tate) a baby wipe warmer.  Raising the
temperature just slightly helps keep the moisture more viscous and less sticky. 
I first learned about this from Robert Bonfiglio.

Those are some quick thoughts.  Most sane people ignore me!

Michael

----- Original Message ----- From: "Randy Power"
<randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 7:14 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Windsavers


> My question still is, Are windsavers necessary? Can I play the harp
without
> them?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Randy
> -- 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> 


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