Re: [Harp-L] Reed Question

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

plink it a bunch of times. 

What Vern says about taking in what that reed is doing compared to both its neighbors is solid-gold advice, transfer that thought over to your plinking.   

Make sure that it sings about the same as the two reeds next to it. A slightly bur brushing can also cause what you described, the reed still sounds fully, but is laborous to get any volume with. What you are specifically listening for is for that reed to not be relatively as bright as the other two. If you've got a good ear and listen closely, you can hear a second tone in there, the tone of the reed barely scraping the burr. 

Otherwise, raise it.  



David Payne
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 



________________________________
 From: Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>
To: Mike Rogers <bullfrog9@xxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Reed Question
 
The symptoms that you describe are those of an excessive gap which would require a bit of "pressing down".  IF it has an excessive gap, it may also be a little balky to start.  

Here is what I would do:

- Take the top cover off.
- If it is a chromatic (you didn't say), look in a mirror under a good light and make certain that the 4-blow valve closes smoothly when you play the 4 draw. If it does not, replace it. 
- The gap on the 4-draw should be a bit more than the 5-draw gap and a bit less than the 3-draw gap.   If it is outside these limits, adjust it.
- Watching the behavior of the reed while you are playing it and comparing its behavior to its neighbors can be very instructive.

IF you fail to discover and fix the problem, send it back to Seydel.

Vern

On Mar 26, 2012, at 9:51 AM, Mike Rogers wrote:

> I have an out-of-the-box Seydel key of D.  It responds really well, except for the 4 draw, which requires a lot more breath to get equal volume.  Do I press the reed down a little, or raise it slightly, or none of the above?
> ********************************
> 
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