reed

The chromatic harmonica has more moving parts than a diatonic (slide assembly, wind savers, etc.) and is more prone to needing adjustment now and again. If a reed goes bad on a diatonic harmonica we commonly weigh the cost of sending it out for repair, taking the time to learn how to repair them for ourselves or just buying a new one. Chromatic harmonicas are more of an investment and most chromatic players I know do their own repairs (unlike diatonic players... though more are doing it these days). continue reading...

A student came in for her lesson yesterday and she had the issue of multiple harmonicas having draw reeds that were stuck. I unbent one side of a coated paperclip and handed to her so she could massage the offending draw reed across its length and it quick unstuck. I observed her playing and noticed that the back of her harmonica tilted downwards, essentially allowing gravity to do its thing by allowing saliva to travel down the draw reed plate, over time building up around the reed and its slot, causing the reed to seize. continue reading...