Re: [Harp-L] What Cover-Plates Don't Do



> You can tape up half of the opening at the rear of a harp and not perceptibly change the sound. Small changes in the cover shapes...like bending out the flanges...have no perceptible effect.

Agreed, though they may have non-timbral affects.  Reshaping covers may make them stronger, which is a definite benefit, for instance.  Also, some alterations might affect the projection of the instrument, particularly away from the player.  Note the words some and might in that statement.  It may be that covers like the CX-12 or the Turbolid have a directional affect which leads the player to perceive a difference in volume, but unlikely that a listener would notice any difference.  Again, note the word may.   

>>  Significantly different designs for cover-plates like the Hohner CBH and the Suzuki Overdrive are going to behave differently in some regards, and will mostly be used to highlight these differences from from the standard design.
> 
> The partitions under the covers make it possible to cup some of the reeds separately.  This can affect the timbre.  Otherwise the timbre is unaffected. 

I would tend to agree.  However, the CBH covers can definitely have an affect on the pitch of the reed--thus tuning can be difficult as the pitch can change when the covers are off compared to when they are on.  Since there is a potential pitch change, I wouldn't rule out a potential timbre change due to the chambers, particularly as the pitch change can make A/B comparisons for timbre alone a bit difficult.  Certainly attaching a reed to a properly tuned resonant chamber can affect the timbre, but whether the CBH or Overdrive is such a chamber is another issue.

>> What do cover-plates do?
> 
> They keep your hands off of the reeds and valves.  Otherwise they serve no useful purpose.

:) 


JR Ross




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