[Harp-L] Original Hohner Pro Harp/painted covers

[BluzeHarp@xxxxxxx]

I think we will all agree that soft items (think acoustic foam)  absorb 
sound, hard items make sound waves bounce off.  So here's my  theory; a painted or 
otherwise coated cover will have a slightly  less hard surface than a plated 
one.  So perhaps the "brightness" of a  plated cover has more to do with the 
hardness of it's surfaces and the resulting  "bounce" than with any sort of  
resonant (vibratory) qualities?  No idea if the difference in  hardness is enough 
to affect tone but it seems worth thinking about.   Or perhaps the coating 
does in a small way affect how the cover vibrates even  when held in your hands? 
 Do the coatings round out the contours of  the covers enough to affect the 
internal bounce?  Some players blow harder,  does this affect the bounce or 
resonance levels?  Is this why some hear a  difference and others don't?  Pretty 
sure we have a lot of differences in  our ears and in our brains as well, 
maybe some can hear it and some can't?   Maybe a combination of these factors are 
involved?
 
I don't know, but would rather see it proved in a true scientific  manner 
than declared either way as gospel truth.  I think we'd  need a vacuum pump, 
compressor, a storage tank or two, accurate and  repeatable metering of the air in 
both directions at different velocities,  an oscilloscope, measuring 
microphones, hand  and mouth analogues, a neutral room...  It could get  expensive.
 
As always, my Harp Mic Buyers Guide is free for the asking.
 
Christopher Richards
Twin Tone Harmonica Microphones
_http://home.comcast.net/~bluzeharp/site/?/home/_ 
(http://home.comcast.net/~bluzeharp/site/?/home/)    
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