5 draw stops working
Kinya,
I have a Hohner Crossover in (Key A) which is about 6 months old. I purchased it for the courses here at bluesharmonica.com and I’m now just starting level 3, so It has got a lot of use.
For the past few weeks my 5 hole draw stops working. What is happening is the reed is lying flat within the reed plate, so the reed does not vibrate. I gently bend the reed, so that it is about half its thickness above the reed plate (or below, can’t remember which.) Everything works again, but it only takes about 15 minutes or so of playing and the reed stops working with the same problem. I’ve bent it a little more and get longer play time, but eventually it stops working again. I’ve looked at it under a magnifying glass and I don’t see any physical damage.
I’m still a beginner and have no real knowledge about working on a harmonica, so I assume I’m doing something wrong. I probable am playing too loud, but I try not to. Unless I’ve accidentally hit the wrong hole, I’ve not been trying to bend the 5 draw.
What do you suggest I do to fix this problem or is this a sign the reed is worn out?
Thank you,
Brian in Tennessee
Thanks, R3Dz for your reply.
I do have to open the harmonica to clean about every 3 to 4 weeks as saliva builds up and causes problems. When I open the harmonica, I have a 3d printed caddy that holds the covers and plates, so they stand up on edge held only at the ends of the plates to keep the reeds from being touched. I then rinse everything under warm water. I dry the covers with paper towel, but I just let the reed plates air dry. Once everything is dry, I reassemble. I try my best not to touch the reeds. I clean this way because my first harmonica I just held under warm water and tapped the water out, then let it air dry. The first time I had to take it apart I was surprised to find the covers were rusting on the inside especially where they touch the plates.
I will look into plinking. If while plinking the reed returns to its non-working state, does that mean I need to bend it a little more? Also, I have filler gauges, what thickness of gauge should I use for the 5 draw A harmonica? Do all the reeds get set to the same height? Somewhere I read or saw that reeds should be set to about half their thickness above the plate, I assume that is just an overly simplified rule.
Somewhere I read that after adjusting reeds you should wait 48 hours before tuning. If that is true, then should I be waiting 48 hours before I play the harmonica after a reed is adjusted?
Sorry for all the questions.
Hello Shoemaker, welcome aboard, and thank you Chris for your helpful input.
My hunch is that after you plinked the 5 draw reed a few times (about 6 to 10 cycles), the reed will breakoff about 3/16" from the reed rivet pad. Of all the reeds I have replaced for players, the #5 draw is the most popular. It is a hot topic on the Harp Tech forum (I'll try to track it down for you). In the meantime check out the Harp Tech Study Series that David and I added to this site, and this will provide you a positive perspective--almost all harmonica bumps and bruises can be remedied:
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_studies_1
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_studies_2
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_studies_3
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_study_4_reed_gapping
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_study_5_reed_replacement
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_study_6_reed_sizing
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_study_7_sj%C3%B6berg_harp_tuner
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Also check out:
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/very_flat_5_draw
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/5_draw_reed_fractures
- https://www.bluesharmonica.com/how_replace_reed
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Thank you Kinya.
I will check out the links you provided.
Hey there Shoemaker, how are things going with you and your harmonica?
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
I bent the reed a little further than I did the first few times and so far, so good. I think I was not bending enough, and the reed was returning to sit flush with the reed plate. I was scared I would break the reed. The other thing I did was once I bent the reed, I verified it would play and then I let the harmonica sit for 48 hours. I don't know if that helped, but SPAH.org has a tuning video that suggested once the reeds are bent into place to not tune for 48 hours. Although I was not tuning, I figured letting the harmonica sit would not hurt anything.
I think I watched all of your videos on harmonica maintenance. When I play the 5 draw with Harp Ninja it shows the pitch is just a little high, but gives me the green indicator. From your videos you suggest the reed is bad when it gets more than half a semitone out of tune (I think.) Since my reed is still tuned, I assume it is still okay.
Thank you for your time and for the videos you have posted on bluesharmonica.com. That is some really good stuff. Makes me want to start tuning up my harmonica. However, since I’m still new to harmonicas I figure I better learn to play them first.
Brian in Tennessee
Sounds like a good plan Brian. We'll be here for you...
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
You're still gonna need an answer from Kinya but I'll just add that you need to plick a reed after moving it. Reeds are basically springs and will try to return to their home position. By plicking it you're helping it settle down and might notice it's gone right back to where it was and needs moving again. If you look under Equipment on the top you will find a series of video's from kinya where he demonstrate the plinking technique. (I recommend you use filler gauges to mesure the gap you're leaving.)
Do you by any chance open your harp to clean it every now and then ? I find this is usually what causes a reed to move on me. I've had all kinds of little changes happen when re-assembling a harp. sometimes the reeds get crooked a bit and I've just noticed if I put the top coverplate on first my finger squeezes reed #5 or 6 while I hold it to place the top cover plate and once or twice I've had to move them again.