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Forums :: Blues Chromatic

Valves and the chromatic

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Fri, 07/14/2023 - 13:17
Expert Winslow Yerxa
Expert Winslow Yerxa's picture
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Joined: 01/16/2010

Diatonic players sometimes wonder why chromatics have those pesky plastic strips called windsaver valves mounted over the reed slots. (Sometimes chromatic players do, too!)

As the name implies, they save wind, sending all the air to the reed you're playing. But they also affect tone and bendability.

Recently I posted a video on my YouTube Channel exploring the subject of valves on both chromatics and diatonics- fully valved, half-vavles, and unvalved. You can view it at:

https://youtu.be/NztgEGqT3jI

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