Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

I had a blast yesterday. I started out tuning an old 50s MB that was still in good shape and 7 limit just.  I was tuning to get rid of the beats and noticed my tuning app was still open and was picking up the ghost tones. That was kind of cool in itself but then I noticed as I tuned the regular notes the cents on the ghost note would change. This A harp A5 + C#6 = A3 -5 cents and C#6 + E6 = A3 +29 cents..... It sounds terrible but not as bad as the draw side. I also noticed that harp ninja will pick them up too. If you don't see it click on the keyboard and they will show up there. continue reading...

Kinya, I read where you said one needs feeler gauges that begin at .001", but the Seydel gauges start at .002". Does the .001 come in to play often?

Hi Kinya; continue reading...

I am trying to get my head wraped around some things. 

Tunings: Richter, Paddy, Music maker, ect. They change the actual notes available on the harp.

Temprements: Richter, Original Blues, Alt-1&2, Original MB, Modern MB, 12 tet, ect are recipes noting the cent deviation from equal.

The part tha's confusing is I see these terms interchanged quite a bit. I want to get it straight in my mind so that if I ask you a question we are both talking about the same thing. continue reading...

Kinya I'm about a 3-year player and I'm ready to tackle the upper register of the diatonic harmonica. I typically Gap the lower holes up to about hole 6 at 9 microns. This morning I took a six draw on a d harmonica to 8 microns from 9 microns and found a big Improvement in the ease with which I could bend that 6 draw.

  continue reading...

Hello Kinya; continue reading...

 I have a chromatic that has a severe bend in 1 of the wind savers..I can not fix it.. Is the wind saver replaceable? or is the fix a new reed plate?

thank you..k

Hi

Dear Kinya  I need a small light box sitting on my desk for reed adjustment.

Can you kindly send me a link to a practical affordable light box in Amazon?  :)

Thanks a bunch

Hello Kinya,

On the web I’ve found information on how to  setup the harmonica for overblows, very little on how to do it for overdraws; just that the setup is similar. So on a new harmonica I gapped it a bit, managed som OD’s, added curvature, arching - and then it was not possible anymore? Flattened the reed back again, and it worked again! So now I don’t do that but compared to overblows the draws is much more of a struggle, overblows much easier. I’m experimenting with embossing and nail polish to make it more air tight. continue reading...

Hello Kinya,

I had some issues for a long time with one of my harps (Crossover) from the beginning. I could make no sense of what was going on.

Finally I went back to the notes I had taken looking at your videos, and there it was written : "if the 2 draw bend is difficult, reduce the 2 blow gap", I applied that to my 3 draw bend problem and kaboum : good clear sound.

So thanks for theses videos and helping me find a solution to my issues.

Bod