a 3-4 dip that sounds bad
Hi Kinya, Dave said you could be of help here :)
ill copy-paste what I wrote in the other forum section:
1) I'm learning "The Strut" at this moment, and I have a difficulty with the 3/4 dip with
a Seydel harmonica, problems which I do not have with my lee oskar in the key of D, nor do I Have
that problem on any other harmonica (all my others are Manjis), it just feels "stuck" when I try to dip it in a
fast and flowing manner. I tried working on my embochure for that specific harmonica but
it doesn't seem to help to get it right. for now ill just play my lee oskar but if there is anything that I can do to custom-wise
to improve that specific issue, I would like to know.
This is how it sounds with the seydel:
This is with the lee oskar:
Dave suggested:
"1) This most likely has to do with the offset of the blow reeds (gapped too low). This question is best asked to KInya Pollard in the Forum, since working on harps is his expertise."Looking forward for your help. thanks!
the ones with the comb are the draw reeds, sorry if the quality isn't the best.. tell me if you want me to try again. I opened up the gap of the 3 draw after David told me that's why it's so wide :D it didn't solve the problem... hope I didn't mess it up...
Thanx Crazy Milk
Based on the pictures of your Seydel reed plates (good job BTW), both the blow and draw reeds look to be at their optimal settings.
Listening to your audio tracks between the Lee Oskar and the Seydel, my assessment is that you are being challenged by the stiffness of the stainless steel Seydel reeds. Brass reeds are inherently more flexible, and therefore, easier to bend.
Both the Lee Oskar/Tombo and Seydel 1847 are terrific instruments, each with unique voicing and playability. My recommendation is to practice only on the Seydel 1847, until you master the 3-4 dip. This will train your embouchure to handle both stainless steel and brass reeds.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Hello Crazy Milk, Good to hear from you.
Thank you for submitting your audio files--they were helpful.
If your willing, I can best help you by asking you to take/submit photos of the side profile "close up" photos of all four (2x blow & 2x draw) reed plates--focusing on the 3 and 4 reeds.
Most smart phones these days take fabulous photos. All the pic shots I took for the Hohner Rocket piece was shot with an Apple 5s. Tip: I found easier to insert photos and text into a google document first, then simply copy and paste it onto this forum.
If this is not convenient for you, I will walk you through the trouble shooting process. Let me know what works best for you.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya