Do You Remember Your First?
Hello Harp Techs,
For me, my first Marine Band 1896 harmonica, will always remind me of my first kiss. No, the Marine Band was not my first love, but the similarities were unforgettable. I could not believe how much slobber was coming out of my mouth.
Many "new" harmonica players are surprised at the copious amounts of drool left on and inside the harmonica, after just a few moments of playing. Left to coagulate, the proteins in our saliva can harden and lock up the reeds in our instrument--eeew!
This is why, after you play your harmonica, “spank” the mouthpiece of your instrument against the heel of your hand, or a stranger’s thigh (good way to introduce yourself ;o).
Most Harp Techs are “gadget people” by nature, so I decided to show you a method of shaking every last drop out of your harmonica. Yup you guessed it, a fingernail polish shaker!
Perfect size for diatonic harmonicas
Strap the rubber band around and lock the harmonica in place
Press the back oval shaped button and watch your harmonica shake for 45 to 60 seconds.
I purchased my Shaker from Amazon and selected the AC model (default is DC battery)
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Hello Harp Techs, recently, I was without my Sjoberg MasterHarp harmonica tuner and had three harmonicas to tune before a show. This meant I had to tune by mouth. I dreaded having to deal with the hassels associated with condensation and saliva.
The unintended deposits of moisture on the free end and/or rivet end of the reed surfaces would distort the chromatic tuner's readings either too FLAT or too SHARP.
If this situation rings true for you as well, try out the above Finger Nail Polish Shaker to remove the moisture off your reeds, before each tuner reading.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya