How loud is too loud?
Sat, 02/04/2023 - 04:24
Hello,
I read everywhere that playing too loud ruins the harmonica. However, when listening for example to Joe Filisko lessons, I think that my understanding of "playing loud" may be very underestimated.
If I want to test how loud my harmonicas can sound, how can I know when it becomes too loud?
Tue, 02/07/2023 - 06:37
#2
Gives to think
If being too loud can be noticed by a sudden bad sound, why do I read everywhere that playing too loud is what shortens the life of harmonicas? Surely people won't push their sound if it becomes unpleasant?
Your last paragraph was really useful, especially that volume is not all related to pressure.
Too loud is more than the reed can handle.
How can you tell?
Start playing a long note. Breathe from deep in your belly, with your throat open and your tongue out of the way.
Take the note to its softest level, to the point where either the reed stops vibrating, or the note becomes inaudible.
Then swell the note as loud as you can make it. At a certain point, the pitch may start to sag, or the tone may become screechy and unpleasantly bright; it may even start to ring with a squealing sound.
You've just reached the point of too loud.
Essentially, if you give the reed more air volume than it can dissipate through normal vibration, you stress it and that stress will eventually cause it to break. Even worse if you're bending and trying to bend it down farther than it wants to go.
Joe, like all good players, can create plenty of volume without breathing hard. It's a matter of using the entire air column moving inside your body to help the note to resonate. Even when you're not moving air fast - you're still moving a lot of air, just slowly enough for the reed to process it. Additionally, by keeping the throat and oral cavity open, you're not creating drag or pressure in the airflow that can stress the reed.