Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

Wow--if only I had a nickel for every time someone brought their harmonica(s) to me with "It only happens on the Band Stand! attached to it. "Nothing came out of that hole ... the reed locked up ... the reed went flat", and so forth.

Almost without exception, there are logical explanations for what caused those frustrating moments. Are there ghosts in your machine? What say ye readers. Is it a harmonica or player issue?

~Kinya

reed plates appear even on the comb, however, when playing the corners feel sharp. How do you smooth the end near the first hole of the reed plate? Also, I put my cover plates on some new bamboo combs and a few cover plates have a hair line crack allowing air, how to fix this problem? Thanks

I started to ask a question about compromised tuning verses just tuning - which would be the pick(or current pick) for mostly 2nd position blues playing, but began to read the questions and answers. So many people had issues with their harps that I began to question whether most of what was being asked was actually that significant for the vast majority of people who want to play. If it is the case that every time I pick up a harp I need worry about the 3 hole half step being a little flat,etc, etc, I think the fun will be over. continue reading...

Hi Kinya,

I'm from Brazil, so i'll start apologizing for some writing errors that might happen.

I'm having some problems setting the 2 hole draw gap, either open or closed, i hear a lot of air when i draw, the only thing that changes is the strength needed to make the reed work.

It's recommended to apply the embossing, or any technique on the draw reeds to had a better response?

Thanks, and again sorry for my poor english

Hey there Harp-Techs,
For those of you who have just completed the sizing (embossing) process on your reed plates with plastic SP20 type combs, be mindful not to over tighten the reed plate screws! This will cause the reed slots to bow microscopically inwards and touch your reeds as it passes through the slot--resulting in that annoying clickety-clack sound when you play (if it plays at all).

"Play the notes people want to hear" © 2008

Kinya Pollard
The Harpsmith

Musician & Harp-Tech
Harmonica Masterclass Workshop Instructor
MelBay's Harmonica Sessions Columnist continue reading...

Hi Kinya,

I have two C harps (Sp20). One is very easy to tongue block blow bend the 10 blow. The other is very difficult. What reed characteristics make one easy and the other difficult? What do I need to change on the difficult reed?

Thanks, Pete

Hi, Kinya!
My Special 20 in A gives me some trouble. I noticed that while playing the learning songs from the site with the provided jam tracks the harmonica sounds way out of tuning at some parts of the track. My little investigation showed that blows 1 through 4 are the problematic holes. For example 4 blow is 449-440 Hz according to phone's tuner.
3 blow sounds awfully out of tune as well, no matter how strong or soft it's blown. continue reading...

Hi Kinya, continue reading...

Wow! What a great teacher you are!

Very nice intro with Studies 1. I can't wait to see the rest.

So I have to ask...

Are you any good at chess? I need a better teacher.

Hi Kinya - just read your article on the Tuning Table and commented:

Hey Kinya - great article!! I ordered and received my tuning table and it is a joy to use for sure. A question that keeps coming up in my head is the gapping thing. Is there some sort of "rule of thumb" for gapping sizes or is it a matter of blow/draw and adjust to your style of playing? I see everyone talk about having a set of 'spark plug gappers' (.002 - .02) - is this to adjust the gap size with??

Thanks for any info on this. continue reading...