pistolero
114 posts
Apr 01, 2011
6:21 PM
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So I've been doing gapping on my own harps. I've only been playing since December. In the beginning I bought some cheap harps. I started with a Special 20 in C but I had to try some cheaper alternatives knowing it wasn't a really good idea but anyway, I have a pile of them my 10 year old blows on. Of course some of them were almost worthless and some of them aren't too bad after break-in and proper gapping. They were useful for trying that the first few times without worry of screwing up anything of value, and it went well anyway.
My real question here is with the last few harps I've taken to do gapping jobs on, I seem to have the most trouble with the 8 draw reed. And this is not on the real cheapies one is a Blues Harp in Bb and the other is a Special 20 in C. No trouble at all up and down the harp getting it to play easy and loud with a gentle breath, except the 8 hole draw is noticeably harder to sound and quieter when it does than the 7, 9, & 10 hole draws.
Is this an issue similar to the 2 draw being notoriously harder to master (an embouchure/technique issue) for the beginner but on the opposite end of the harp? Or is that reed really that much more sensitive to the gap position. Or is it just me not knowing what the hell I'm doing???
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Joe_L
1180 posts
Apr 01, 2011
7:24 PM
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If youve been playing sine December, you've probably got a lot more to work on than gapping harps.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on Apr 01, 2011 7:28 PM
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pistolero
115 posts
Apr 01, 2011
7:51 PM
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"If youve been playing sine December, you've probably got a lot more to work on than gapping harps."
There's no doubt about that. But that is my question for this thread. Thanks for the the help.
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It's MUSIC, not just complicated noise.
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MP
1569 posts
Apr 02, 2011
10:49 AM
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short reeds are difficult to gap. a person needs to work on harps hell of a lot to manage to get the high reeds optimum in response. it's physics too. that thing is tiny.
that being said, i agree w/ joe and will add this.
adjust your playing before you adjust reeds.
most problems, even on chinese junk, are pilot error and not the harp.
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
Last Edited by on Apr 02, 2011 10:50 AM
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chromaticblues
748 posts
Apr 02, 2011
1:03 PM
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I'll answer your question. Make sure the reed is almost perfectly straight. The tip of the reed should be slightly up above striaght. The gap should be about the same width as the reed. On lower keyed harps the gap needs to be a little bigger. It takes awhile to get the draws on holes 7,8,9 and 10.
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