I know and think that I understand how blow and draw reeds work together to create a bend. Although I've gapped many, many harps to play better I don't think I've ever understood how the gapping of the two reeds interacts. I usually spend most of my time on the draw reed gaps in the lower holes unless there is a blow reed that is way off. Can you guys explain how to gap the blow reed to work well with its correlating draw reed? Thanks! All the best, Jay
I can give you the short, sweet and simple answer to this question "Can you guys explain how to gap the blow reed to work well with its correlating draw reed?"
- Gap the blow reed according to the same principals required to gap the draw reed.
The long answers im sure will fill up this space soon!
I am unsure of the physics of how it works, but gapping the blow reed does have an effect on the responsiveness of the draw reed and visa versa.
My guess is that a smaller gap on the blow reed allows less air to escape around it and therefore more of the air is directed towards activating the draw reed (and visa versa).
I guess there are no hard and fast rules, you just need to keep adjusting until you have both reeds working well for you. I have found however, that I need to set the gap on the blow reeds slightly larger than the corresponding draw reed. This may just be right for me though.
It is a bit technical but it starts to explain what is goning on. I like the position transducer results shoing how the speaking reed swapa as you bend a note down. I wonder if the relative gap between the two reeds would altre the pitch at which the transition occurs.
I generally gap the blow and draw reeds using the Joe Spiers method shown here.( Thanks Joe )
After this I'll play the bends and if they are choking. Open the blow reed up a bit. Draw reed on blow bends.
Its the blow reed that makes most of the sound during a draw bend. The draw reed, on the blow bends in the upper octave. ---------- The Pentatonics Reverbnation Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
Last Edited by on Apr 17, 2012 6:38 AM