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

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Even careful gapping can change pitch on a reed that is not fatigued and that may last for many more years:

1) Working the metal may it stretch out and make the reed slightly longer, which will lower its pitch.

2) Nearly all playing depresses pitch by some amount. The closer you gap a reed, the more the force of your breath may depress pitch.

Re the second point, raising the gap of a reed may have the effect of making it sound at a slightly higher pitch than it did when previously played with the same force and overall technique.

I got the "gap first, then tune" advice right here on harp-l from Tim Moyer when he was still customizing. I can't tell you how much time and frustration that simple rule has saved me. Tuning still drifts in frustrating ways, but not nearly so much since I started following Tim's advice.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

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

--- On Wed, 5/20/09, Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx> wrote:

From: Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Suzuki's Fabulus....Rant...
To: "harp-l harp-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 3:25 PM


>  Though a few minor adjustments may be needed for one's personal style, only an extremist would have to get so radical with a stock harp's gapping that pitches would be altered.  Clumsy, hurried gapping can have that consequence, of course.  I think that if your gapping technique causes significant pitch-lowering, your harp's days are prematurely numbered.