Pluto
213 posts
Feb 26, 2012
6:33 AM
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For over a decade I've read everything I can get my hands on regarding "tuning up" harmonicas. I've purchased Rupert Oyslers DVD, bought Richard Sleighs book, and spent hours attempting to do what they recommend.I for some reason don't get it. And I'm not a mechanical dunce. In a past life I was a journeyman machinist and am now an engineer.I've spent hours and hours following the steps harp modifiers have suggested, but I still cannot figure out why my Ab plays better than my A. Both Seydels, both new. I take the cover plates off, undo the reed plates, and closely examine the reeds with a magnifier. They look exactly the same!
Before Chris M. passed away, I'd convinced him to let me fly down to Phoenix and pay him for a days worth of tutelage. He agreed but thought it might be more helpful for him to offer a weekend class for others as well. Then he died.
My intention isn't to learn the process so I can go into business. I have a job. I just want consistency with all the harps. Seydels are the best, but still not perfect. Any ideas?
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FMWoodeye
243 posts
Feb 26, 2012
6:53 AM
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Curious, isn't it? How does it play "different?" Is there any objective comparison you can make?
I just gave away a Suzuki Promaster in A because it required "more breath" to play than my other Promasters and my other harps in A. When I am fairly healthy, I can't tell much difference, but when my congestive heart failure kicks up and breath is at a premium, the difference is obvious. I loosened and refastened all the screws, but no cigar. I couldn't figure anything else to do, so I got rid of it to alleviate my exasperation.
Good luck. I'll watch the thread with interest.
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arzajac
747 posts
Feb 26, 2012
7:13 AM
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Pluto - Same model Seydel? Have you tried swapping the comb between both of them? Even the slightest imperfection can affect a harp and gapping, curve, embossing, you-name-it will not help if it's not airtight. Maybe of you swap the comb, the A will play better than the Ab. Or maybe they will both play badly...
Richard Sleigh doesn't mention it in his (great) book, but he does mention it in his latest video - the one about flat sanding a reedplate so that you can buy a Corian comb from him and install it properly. He says that he has found that making a comb airtight often solves "mysterious" playability problems.
I wasted a lot of time working on leaky harps. I wish someone would have told me that before I started.
The other thing I wish I was taught was that a reed can be adjusted to play perfectly in one sitting but it will migrate back to playing like crap. The process of adjusting a reed can take multiple tries, each taking a period of time (how long a day, week, month, I dunno?) to settle.
Consistency requires a lot of work. I'm happy with my harps, but I don't think they are very consistent. I tend to get impatient and just deal with the biggest problems and live with the smaller issues.
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Last Edited by on Feb 26, 2012 7:17 AM
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laurent2015
15 posts
Feb 26, 2012
8:34 AM
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What about valving the harp, like chromatics?
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shanester
518 posts
Feb 26, 2012
10:56 AM
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It sounds like it could be an embouchure thing as well.
The overall embouchure decreases in volume from lower harps on up to upper harps.
It could be that you favor the Ab and the harps are so close in key that it is throwing you off.
I would suggest spending a significant amount of time playing the A just to hone in on and groove your muscle memory for that key.
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Shane,
"The Possum Whisperer"
Shane's Cloud
1shanester
Last Edited by on Feb 26, 2012 11:00 AM
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hvyj
2220 posts
Feb 26, 2012
4:36 PM
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The most salient variables in how a harp performs are the flatness of the comb and the gapping of the reeds.
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didjcripey
200 posts
Feb 26, 2012
7:57 PM
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Shouldn't you be comparing an 'A' with an 'A', or 'Ab' with 'Ab'?
If they're not the same key they'll play differently, even if its only a semitone difference.
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Lucky Lester
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chromaticblues
1195 posts
Feb 26, 2012
10:09 PM
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@Pluto Email me and maybe we can work something out.
Click on my user name for info.
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Pluto
214 posts
Feb 26, 2012
10:12 PM
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Well thanks for all the feedback. I'm pretty sure its a mechanical thing. What I'm looking for is one of you harp "gurus" to offer instruction via a workshop or "clinic". I'm quite sure I'm just looking at this thing wrong.
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