Re: [Harp-L] Concerning bend impact on reeds

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Vern from my own experience.

I have broken reeds from hard playing but not from bending.


Winslow

 
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
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Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>
To: Robert Laughlin <harmonicaman1968@xxxxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 5:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Concerning bend impact on reeds
 

It is easy to assume that the extra effort that you exert to bend is felt by the reeds.  However, the only thing that makes a reed "wear" is metal fatigue which is function of the total number and amplitude of reed vibrations.  

Because there are two reeds vibrating in a bend, you can make the argument that the total number of cycles per reed is greater with a lot of bending. Also, the some reeds may get extra usage because you are using them for several notes of the scale, increasing the number of cycles.    However, you are certainly not going to change the notes you play to avoid cycling the reeds.

I doubt that the amplitude of a reed is greater when it is vibrating at an unnatural frequency. I would expect the opposite because a reed vibrates more willingly at its natural frequency.

For these reasons, I doubt that bending much accelerates reed failure.  Even if it does, there isn't much you can do about it unless you switch to chromatics where reeds also fail.

Vern


On Feb 11, 2014, at 3:59 PM, Robert Laughlin <harmonicaman1968@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I'm assuming that any kind of bend causes more eventual wear on the reed than play that is free of any bending. I'm also assuming that whole step bends tend to deteriorate the reed faster than half step bends, though I'm also assuming that skillful bends by skilled players are less invasive, less damaging to the reed than wild, "unskilled" bends, since a skillful player tends to need less wind to do the job. 
> 
> Am I right so far? 
> 
> I wonder though, since I'm unfamiliar with overblows and overdraws,,
> 
> Do overblows or overdraws potentially cause more damage or wear to the reed than simple bends? 
> 
> What kind of bends can ruin a harp, if performed badly? All? or specific bends.
> 
> In other words, if the goal is not only to play well, but also to add longevity to the harp, what is important, as far as bends are concerned? Are there any specifics that can help one avoid sending the harp to an "early retirement"?
> 
> I play my harps pretty hard from the get-go, and I've got a whole box of harps lying around "in retirement", waiting for repair. I apologize to them every so often for sending them there, in the "limbo" box. One of these days I'll man up and fix a few of them, when I grow a pair of brass, erm, "reeds".