[Harp-L] Sticking reeds

[Steve]

> On 11 Oct 2016, at 19:16, Richard Hunter <turtlehill at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I read with interest the posts this week about Session Steels with sticking reeds.  I'm experiencing this phenomenon frequently these days with a range of harmonica makes and models--Manjis, 1847s, Steels, you name it.  I'm doing the overdubs for my record "The Lucky One" this week, and I am having plenty of trouble getting through my takes without a reed jamming here and there.  Grrrr.
> 
> My guess is that this is a result of two things in particular:
> 1) Harmonicas are better made, to more exacting tolerances, than they used to be.  That means the gaps between reeds and plates have been reduced, so a piece of junk that would've just fallen away in previous generations of harmonicas now gets caught between reed and plate. 
> 2) Manufacturers are in general gapping their reeds more tightly than they used to in order to facilitate overblowing. Again, that means stuff that used to be insignificant is now enough to block vibrations.
> 
> The solution to the second problem is obviously to gap the reeds higher, which was suggested by several people on the list.  The problem with that is that overblowing is much easier when reeds are set close to the plate. 
> 
> The solution to the first problem is--what?  Brush your teeth more frequently?  Cultivate a dry mouth?
> 
> I suppose that simply playing more quietly might help, but I'm not a quiet player.  Comments and suggestions on the above welcome.
> 
> Thanks, Richard Hunter
> 
Well, I've found that (a) as long as the harp is all metal and plastic, (b) and as long as it has no valves, a great way of keeping harps trouble-free is to wash them under a lively stream of quite warm (slightly less than hand-hot) water, front and back, after every playing session. Tap them/shake them out and leave to air-dry at least overnight. Now I know that some will be appalled at this "advice" but all I can tell you is that the technique has served me well for decades and my harmonicas last me a very long time.  Don't tell anyone, but I've even done it with wood-combed ones which are known not to swell ,such as Hohner MS ones, but I do the deed very quickly in these cases.