Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

It has been suggested that to freshen and clean the playing surfaces of the harmonica we can use a mouth piece spray such as the Roach Thomas "Mighty Mist" which contains propanol.  Is it safe to use this spray on the Hohner Crossover bamboo comb or anything else that contains alcohol?

Hello Harp Techs, present to me a good solo and I will show you clever improvisation. If you don’t have a Richard Sleigh reed removal tool, or Seydel reed removal pliers, why not improvise?

continue reading...

Hello Kinya,

Do you have any recommendations for a basic and economical kit for tuning?

John

Gobble Gobble Gobble Harp Techs!

Many of us will have free time all to ourselves this holiday week. For me I can't think of a better way to use our time wisely than to binge on all seven Harp Tech Studies: continue reading...

Hi Kinya,

Loving the content, it's shed so much light on my harmonica!

A question: I have a big river harp and a marine band deluxe in front of me with the same key and close to similar treatment with gapping etc. If they have the same reeds, why is it easier to bend the more expensive deluxe? Is it the plate itself, how air tight it is etc. etc.? I'm just curious and interested in why there's such a noticeable difference!

Thanks!

Hello Harp Techs,

The weak link for all types of harmonicas is the reed. Vibrating a zillion times over a lifetime of creating music, especially those reeds with excessive play, will experience metal fatigue. A hairline fracture will develop near the base, and that reed will lose its structural integrity and become unplayable (break). continue reading...

Hi Kinya

When using a light source and moving the reed toward the reed plate I always see a fine sliver of light at the reed pad side of the reed even after the light disappears on the half or three quarters of the reed length away from the pad.  It seems to me this would be inevitable if the bottom of the reed is .002" proud of the reed plate at the zeropoint.  If this is true then my question is how far this light should extend away from the reed pad?  Or am I way off track here?

Thank you dear Kinya for your excelent lesson on tuning the harp. I have never done that except on single stubborn reeds here and there and without much enthusiasm.

Now I know better, much better, and what was fun, is that your lessons did not only bring me the knowledge I needed, but were also very, very entertaining! It was a loong lesson and no wonder you were tired at the end, but it was worth the time invested.

Not only did I find there the skills I needed, but found much information, many answers to questions I have never asked myself. The summit of learning for me! continue reading...

I just got a new Special 20 in D.  While I was playing around with it, I noticed that when I do a 3 draw bend it squeals when I get lower in the bend.  If I slowly work the bend down, it starts sounding fine but as I work it down it hits a point where I get a very high pitched squeal.  I have never come across this and am not sure what to do about it.  It almost sounds like one of the higher reeds is starting to hit a resonance or something like that but to be honest, I have no idea.   continue reading...

Hello Harp Techs,

This installment is in response to an earlier post regarding improving the mouthpiece comfort of the classic Marine Band 1896 pearwood comb. Many Harp Tech players enjoy the history surrounding this beloved harmonica, but understandably, don’t appreciate the bloody tongue and lips after a hard night of gigging.

This occurs because the wooden tines swell (from playing, read: saliva), and the sharp edges rise past the edge of the reed plates--effectively transforming the mouthpiece into a rasp file! continue reading...