Skip to main content
Blues Harmonica logo

User Account

Username:*
Password:*
Forgot Your Password?

Visitor Menu

  • Sign Up
  • Sample Lesson #1
  • Sample Lesson #2
  • Student Recordings
  • Forums
Forums :: General Discussion

Hair of the Dog

3 replies [Last post]
Mon, 08/30/2010 - 16:27
hank stefaniak
hank stefaniak's picture
Offline
Teacher 6Level 9
Joined: 12/20/2009

So I'm at the jam and when I pick up my C harp (the second time in the set), the 1 hole is jammed!! No sound draw or blow. Luckily I packed a spare harp, picked it up and finished. Got home and took the covers off, 'plucked' the reeds on the 1 hole and then when I tried it again, no sound. Looked more carefully and found a hair stuck in the draw reed. After I carefully took it out, all was well again.

Lesson for me - always pack spare harps and don't panic if something goes wrong with the harp you are playing. How the heck did a hair get stuck in there during a set - ? I did brush my teeth so no hair mouth to deal with - not like some mornings ;-)

Top
Mon, 08/30/2010 - 19:04
#1
Expert Winslow Yerxa
Expert Winslow Yerxa's picture
Offline
Expert
Joined: 01/16/2010
A hairly common occurrence

Hair stuck in a reed can happen easily. It happened to me once just before I went onstage at a music school recital and I had to struggle through the solo performance without Draw 1. Yesterday a student came to me with 2 harps that he thought had dead draw reeds. I popped the covers and pulled hairs out of them.

The fix is fairly easy, and the preventative isn't much harder - keep the harp in a clean case or box, not in your pocket or rolling around in a bag with who knows what debris not that I'm particularly good at following my own advice).

Top
Wed, 09/01/2010 - 21:12
#2
Hobostubs
Hobostubs's picture
Offline
Joined: 08/25/2010
happens to me

yea i often get a hair stuck in a reed,and my 1st thought is Oh no a bad reed,but usually its something caught in it,a lot of the time its lip gunk,same problem,I firgur it would be nice to have extras,just for that when i play live,but right now i just have my main 5 LO,but eventully i hope to have extras

Top
Fri, 09/03/2010 - 04:02
#3
patricia mifsud
patricia mifsud's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/20/2009
Filthy Harps

My cousin,who is a guitar player always says to me 'are you playing that filthy harp again?' now I see why ha ha

Top

Sign me up!

Full access to all lessons starts at $20/month! (with annual subscription)

Subscribe

Free Sample Lessons

After watching the BluesHarmonica.com overview video, try one of the lessons below to experience a lesson at BluesHarmonica.com.

  • Tongue Blocking Study 2 – This study is for the newer player or the player new to tongue blocking
  • Bending Study 5 – This is for the advanced player looking to improve their bending skills

Contributors

  • Aki Kumar
  • Joe Tartaglia
  • Gary Smith
  • Mark Hummel
  • Joe Filisko

Site Links

  • About David Barrett
  • Accredited Instructors
  • Links
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
Hohner
© 2009 - 2025 David Barrett and the Harmonica Masterclass Co. for Bluesharmonica.com