Thanks for your gapping videos
Thanks Kinya, your videos have really helped me out.
I thought that I was going really backwards with my learning. I thought I was in for months of relearning my technique to drop some bad habits.
Nope! Turns out that my 'A' harmonica was just really in a bad shape. No wonder I couldn't play certain songs in a soft, warm, relaxed manner. It wasn't the songs at all, just the harmonica they were played on. Getting 3 draw to sound at all required something akin to sucking honey through a straw. And I had nobody who could tell me that it wasn't normal.
Now it sounds like it should, and just feels fantastic to play. When that reed starts vibrating at barely the slightest breath, it's a huge thrill for me. So again, thank you.
If I do have a question for you, it would be this: How often is it necessary to adjust the gaps?
Thanks. I have 4 harmonicas which are all the same model (Hohner Blues Harp MS-Series). I only recently bought two of those harmonicas, and it seems like really this is the only one that is stocked locally in the music stores. So I went online to look at reviews because I wanted to know if they are actually any good and had nothing to compare them to.
I came across a review that Ronnie Shellist did, in which he mentioned that the Blues Harp MS-Series is intentionally set up with slightly than normal higher gaps. It would seem that I have a preference for a lower gaps, should I be looking at trying a different model for future purchases?
I am quite happy with my 'A' harp the way I've set it up following your videos, so common sense would say to stick with it. But again, I have never tried anything else, and perhaps it's not a good idea to change something that was intentionally set in a specific way?
Hello Jeremy
Many advanced and professional players (present company included ;o) prefer the "hand built" characteristics of the Hohner Marine Band line of harmonicas vs the assembly line feel of the MS series. This list includes:
- Marine Band 1896 (pearwood comb)
- Marine Band Deluxe (sealed pearwood comb)
- Marine Band Crossover (sealed laminated bamboo)
- Marine Band Thunderbird (low tuned with sealed pearwood comb)
- Marine Band Special 20 (ABS plastic comb)
- Marine Band Rocket (ABS plastic comb--similar to SP20, but with larger mouthpiece holes, radius edges, and vented coverplates for increased acoustic volume)
Well worth your money--especially now that you know how to set the reed gaps--to compare a Marine Band harmonica to the Blues Harp (MS).
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Hi Jerermy, we are thrilled to learn that the Harp Tech Studies have answered that nagging question for you, "... is it me or the instrument"!?
Q: If I do have a question for you, it would be this: How often is it necessary to adjust the gaps?
A: Once the elasticity of the reed material has stablized, further gapping should not be necessary. Having written that, as your technique improves--it may be necessary to recalibrate the gap of the reed.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya