Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

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

Hi, thanks for the vis about custom, they were great.

my question is. If I do everything of the vid, like gap, and etc, Is that enough for the over/blows/draws?

In an harmonica I adjust the gap some time ago I canto do them on the 4,5 6, 7 holes, but not in the rest. Do you think it will be enough to get them.

I case that is no t enough, what else should I do?

Thanks alot for your time. :)

Any picture on how to set up cleartune tuner for harmonica?

Specially for marine band harmonica that has comporomised tunning what temperament should I choose?

Kinya,

When I was first starting at BluesHarmonica.com I favored very responsive harps that made it easier to learn to bend.  But now that I've been at it for a while I'm nore focused on trying to play the 2 and 3 draw bends accurately.  Using the Harp Ninja app I can see that some of my most repsonsive harps are the most difficult to play consistently in tune. Is this me, the harp or both?

Thanks,

Dan