[Harp-L] Re: New wind saver valve leather

["Brendan Power" <bren@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This thread caught my attention as I've been experimenting with a
synthetic leather valve material. I believe it was first used by my friend
and fellow half-valved harp player PT Gazell.

The information on the material was discussed publicly in Sldemeister a
few months back (valve issues are a hot topic there, as you'd expect!), so
I hope PT won't mind if I follow up here on Harp-L. It was that discussion
which prompted me to seek it out and give it a try.

There are lots of synthetic leathers on the market, but the one mentioned
on Slemeister was Ultrasuede, invented in Japan in 1970:

http://www.ultrasuede.com/

I ordered some and tried it out in my harps, all of which (chromatics and
diatonics) are half-valved. For me, I find it works better in diatonics
than chromatics. On my diatonics, I had trouble with buzzing valves in the
lower holes, which was difficult to fix.

Valving the lower holes with Ultrasuade cured that problem. It also gives
a slightly softer tone to the valved reeds, getting closer to the sound of
an unvalved harp. I presume this is because the seal on the reedplate is
not quite as perfect as with a conventional valve, so a tiny bit of air is
seeping through - but that's just conjecture.

You have to cut out your own valves (I use a steel ruler and a sharp
blade, but scissors are fine too). I attach with a tiny drop of Superglue.
On longer valves I also attach a light plastic spring on top of the
Ultrasuade to ensure the valve instantly returns to its seating position
with breath changes.

If Rick's leather refurbishing fix doesn't work, Ultrasuede could be the
solution for Paul's problem with his old leather-valved chromatic.

Brendan Power
WEBSITE: http://www.brendan-power.com
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/BrendanPowerMusic