Re: [Harp-L] Suzuki's Fabulus....Rant...

["Brendan Power" <bren@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In answer to Jeff's Rant:

This is a case that demonstrates how important it is for every harp player
to know the basics of reed gapping to suit their own style.

As others have said, everyone blows differently. A hard player will like
bigger gaps than a soft player. There are lots of levels in between the
setups of different players. To illustrate, Howard Levy lent me one of his
harps to play once, and I immediately tried to play in my usual way.

Result: virtually every second reed refused to sound! That's because
Howard has his reed gaps adjusted incredibly low to facilitate overblows.
I don't overblow as I use half-valved harps, and his harp just would not
work with my normal style.

That's what's happened in this case: the reed you complain about is simply
gapped too low for your style. It takes about 20 seconds to fix: remove
the covers and gently push the reed away from the plate a TINY bit, then
give it a hard breath. Adjust till it responds instantly, and the harp is
fixed. It's not rocket science, just the harmonica equivalent of putting
new strings on a guitar: everyone should know how to do it.

You also complain about the Suzuki valved harps, but that is also
'operator error', in my opinion. Many players of normal un-valved harps
find the reeds don't respond as they are accustomed to when they try to
play the Promaster valved in their usual way. However, if you adjust your
technique you quickly find the harp is well set up and plays great.

Conclusion: you need to work on your harmonica adjustment knowledge and
playing technique before you complain about perfectly good harmonicas.

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