Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

Hello Everyone, for your listening pleasure, check out our edgy version of the classic Beatles song, "Ticket to Ride"

https://soundcloud.com/user-678833265/ticket-to-ride-by-the-pollard-brot...

• VOX | Kinya Pollard
• VOX | Colby Pollard
• Guitars | Jeff Leeds
• Bass | Colby Pollard
• Drums | Terry Carleton
• Harmonica | Kinya Pollard

Your HARPSMITH, Kinya

Hello Harp Techs, initially for me the task of tuning the harmonica was my least favorite thing to do ... but now, a few thousand reeds later, I find learning new tips, tricks and the physiology of harmonica tuning extremely satisfying.

WHY IT MATTERS

You folks can benefit from my experience and leap frog over the trials & tribulations phase of learning harmonica reed tuning. 

For example; when doing your rough and final tuning (on the comb), be mindful of the following conditions: continue reading...

I have a new Lee Oskar A blues harp and, as an exercise, I measured the gaps on all the reeds with a set of feeler gauges. Both blow and draw got progressively narrower as the pitches got higher.

But I was surprised to find the 1-hole blow was .37mm, while the draw was only .07, the narrowest gap on the harp. Kinya made a point of adusting the pairs of reeds together in his video, so I was wondering if this is normal, or if blow/draw pairs should be about equal, or what the relationship should be. continue reading...

HEADS UP Harp Techs!

For all new HOHNER (Diatonic) Harmonicas, you will need to add one more tool to your bench.

Up until recently--to avoid stripping the screw heads--the cover plate fasteners (binding post screws) required a Pozi Screwdriver (Wiha 262 PZ1 X 60).

The new cover plate fasteners--similar to those used on the new Golden Melody Harmonica, require a six-lobe TORX screwdriver. Specifically the T7

This is easy to locate with your internet search.

Your HARPSMITH, Kinya

Kinya I love your instruction videos well done. I have a set of Maji that I really like and have had them for years. They are very durable with great longevity but are starting to age. My Low F harp has developed a broken 5 blow reed  (why is it always the 5 blow). Do you have any suggestions on how to harvest a reed from another Manji reed plate and fix it to the low F. As you know they are not connected via screw or rivet. I am of the opinion it's a set of reed plate replacement and that would be a pity. 

Hello Kinya,

Hello Kinya!

Can you please write me if you have any tips for tunning a chromatic?

For example should I use 440 or 442HZ like on the diatonic?

And: Should I tune all to 0c or is there some recipe?

Thanks!

Angel

Hello Harpsmith! I have a problem with my new, out of the box A harmonica.. (marine band crossover) It was really hard to draw hole 10 so i opened it. The free end of the reed was upward, really really bad, so i followed your instructions here https://www.bluesharmonica.com/harp_tech_study_6_reed_sizing#TB_inline?i.... but it is still hard to draw hole 10. I don't have a photo of how the reed was but i do have of how it is! I think i have destroyed it..At least i have tried to fix it!What do you think? continue reading...

Hi Harpsmith,

The harp tech section is one of the most useful parts of the entire forum, I thank you for being here.

I have a new Hohner Special 20 Progressive in the key of A, with the first blow hole in a bad state. While the pitch is off by at least 10 cents, the extremely low volume gets it into a really bad shape. continue reading...

So, thanks to the great resources here I've become moderately more competant at gapping, minor tuning, etc. but I feel like I'm stuck in one respect.

I love Marine Bands and - like many who love them - am trying desperately to make the out of the box version playable.:) One thing that keeps happening is being unable to find the sweet spot between too much gap and too little. continue reading...