What causes this?
Winslow, I got a new Crossover today and the 2 blow seems stuck. I've seen that on some other harps. It seems that sometimes I put air through the hole and I get nothing but air sound in return. It's like the reed is stuck. What causes this and what can I do to fix it?
In reality, I think it's more me - but I also think that this harp seems more sensitive to my embouchure and where the sound is coming from within me than my Manji or Special 20s.
I can get a fairly decent sound on the two blow when I open my nose and breath through the harp from deep in my stomach - rather than higher up in my throat. I think that's proper technique anyway, but I wonder why the Crossover seems more sensitive to this than my other harps.
My initial disappointment with the Crossover is waning a little bit. I think I just haven't spent enough (or any) time playing the Marine Bands to appreciate the difference in how these harps play. It also makes me appreciate more those who use the Marine Band and really make it wail with that deep, full tone.
The easiest harp to play right off isn't always the one that can deliver the most after you explore it for awhile. I've only spent about a half-hour with a Crossover, but I was impressed with its overall quality and how much response it delivered. Breathing deep is always good, but your nose should be closed almost all the time. Opening your nose ggives you less control over tone, volume and bending because air is escaping instead of going through the harp. It can also mask problems. Work to play with your nose closed but without any negative effects on the action of the reeds.
Hi! I,m a beginner on the harp and I own a Hohner golden melody G harp. The seventh blow hole is supposed to sound G5 but my harp sounds F sharp on it. What could be the cause of this problem, Could you please help? Thank you.
It could be the harp or it could be the way you're playing that note.
How to tell?
Try playing a chord of three more neighboring holes sounded together.
Start at the left end of the harp.
Play a chord of three or more neighboring blow notes, and listen for the sound of the chord.
Move one hole to the right, and again play the next three-note blow chord, and listen for the sound. It should be essentially the same, but a little higher pitched.
Keep moving one hole to the right and playing a three-note chord.
When you get to Hole 7, does the chord suddenly sound different, as if it had a new element that's different from what it had before, or does it sound like the previous chords, but just going a little higher?
If the chord sounds like it has a new element then the reed is out of tune. It's possibly defective, and you should make a warranty claim to Hohner.
If the chord sounds normal then Blow 7 is going flat when you play it as a single note. This indicates that you're bending it down without meaning to (pre-bending).How to deal with this?
Make sure you're not corwding the hole.The opning in your mouth formed by your lips and tongue should be bigger than the hole, not smaller.
The air flow inside your mouth should be free and unobstructed, allowing air to pass easily without pressure or noise.
Try playing a note, then continue breathing and remove the harmoncia from your mouth while keeping your embouchure in formation. If you hear any noise while you breath is in motion, you're pinching the airflow and need to relax. Oen your throat like you're yawning, and make sure your tongue isn't crowding the roof of your mouth or your right cheek.
Hmm. Without examining the harp it's hard to say.
Is the problem intermittent?
First thing to check is to tap out the harmonica with holes facing down, in case the reed is clogged by saliva.
Second thing is to check very carefully what you're doing with your mouth and throat when it happens. It could be that the way you're configuring your mouth is setting up a resonant frequency that the note can't match. For instance, if Draw 2 is G (as on a C harp) and you tune your mouth to F, the note will bend down. But if you tune your mouth to Eb or maybe A, the reed can't respond and you'll either get the rush of air or you'll get squealing.
The solution here would be to open your throat (try yawning) and make sure your tongue is lying flat on the floor of your mouth
Is it the harmonica and not you? Harmonica combs can subtly change shape due to changes in temperature and humidity. Even plastic is subject to small variations due to temperature. The Bamboo in a Crossover, though moisture resistant, may not be entirely impervious to moisture or humidity. But for this to cause a problem the sides of the reed chamber would have to shift or shrink enough to interfere with the reed and I doubt they would change that much.
PROBLEMS REQUIRING REPAIR
If the problem is not intermittent, then you need to open up the harp and examine the reed. Luckily the Crossover is easily disassembled with a screwdriver.
==DEBRIS
First, look for any debris that might be clogging the reed. Remove it - use a piece of paper to slide it out, towards the tip of the reed.
==FAULTY GAP
Second, check the gap of the reed at the tip. Does it look significantly different compared to the neighboring reeds? If so you need to either raise or lower it by gently flexing the tip of the reed either away from the slot or into the slot. (You can get more detailed advice in Harmonica For Dummies or in Kinya Pollard's columns at harmonicasessions.com).
==OBSTRUCTED REED
Third, determine whether the reed can swing freely in its slot without resistance or obstruction. Gently press the reed into the slot. If you experience resistance or a grinding sound or feel, then you know that the reed is binding against the slot. However, even if you don't experience obvious obstruction, the reed still may need alignment or swaging.
Binding can be caused by two conditions:
1. the edge of the slot or reed has burrs or malformations (or excessive embossing if you've been trying some customizing) that cause the reed to bind. The corrective action is called swaging (sway-jing).
2. The reed is pivoted on its rivet so that it is not parallel with the slot edge and is hitting on one side. The corrective action is called reed alignment.
To check for obstructions and faulty alignment, hold the reedplate up to a light source so that light shines through the interstices between the reed edge and the slot. Hold the reedplate so that the reeds are facing you and the tips are pointing up. Slowly rotate the reedplate right to left to eliminate any effects of parallax. Look for any place along the edges and tip of the reed where the light is interrupted. Now check to see whether both edges of the reed are parallel with the edges of the slot.
if the reed appears to be out of alignment with the slot, you need to rotate it slightly to put it back in alignment. The best way to do this is with a reed wrench, such as comes with most repair kits (The Lee Oskar wrench, however, is the wrong size for Hohner reeds). If you don't have a reed wrench, you can nudge the reed by inserting a fingernail or a thin shim of plastic or brass (or even a toothpick) into one slot edge and nudging the reed toward the other edge. Doing it this way can be frustrating because it's easy to either have no effect or else nudge it too far, requiring corrective action.
If the reed is in alignment but obstructed, you need to swage it - run a thin steel shim along the edge of the reed and slot to wear or cut away the obstruction. The best source of shim stock happens to be free with many purchases. Anti-theft tags on product packaging are the little raised white plastic tags, about an inch long and abut 1/4 inch wide. These contain 2 or 3 extra-thin steel shims in a couple of different thickness that you can use to swage reed edges. The other source is the thinnest among the tongues in a steel feeler gauge set that you can get in automotive supply stores.
Hope this helps.