If you don't plan on using the button except to change keys while you play in a rack, you could remove or cut the spring and just move the slide by hand. Without the spring, it wouldn't move back.
You might want to try gently over tightening the mouthpiece screws so the slide binds and the spring doesn't move it back. You would probably want to tighten it a little even with the spring removed, so it doesn't slide unless you pull or push it.
Some people who use the button to play chromatically attach something to the slide and play without a spring, pushing and pulling it with the attachment.
Here is a jazz guy who rigged it to play springless.
Given your comments about jazz, I suggest that you don't let the video go too far, just far enough to see the attachment he made when his spring broke.
If you play in a rack and don't use the button to play sharps and flats, I would say remove or snip the spring, and tighten the mouthpiece so it doesn't slip while you play.
not a chance-the vids are staying-you asked "what do you jazz cats think"- I am a jazz enthusiast,and thats what I think-I did not know you were a moderator--
Last Edited by on Jun 30, 2012 8:15 AM
i would just press the slide in and tighten the mouthpiece screw while holding it in. no muss, no fuss. ---------- MP affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
"I hate jazz, it belongs in elevators or when some stupid company puts you on hold on the phone. I'm sure many will agree. .......some jazz can be ok to my ears, but i think its along the lines of advanced math compared to simple arithmetic, i like the simple stuff."
You mean: you hate what you don't understand?
I have some pain to believe that Weather Report/Joe Zawinul/Herbie Hancock/ Chick Corea/Wayne Shorter/George Benson/Toots Thielemans/Pat Metheny/Al di Meola/John Mc Laughlin let alone 1000 others among the best, end as elevator's music: that's a stupid statement all the more as coming from another musician. There are 100 other ways to say that you don't like jazz, but the best is to shut your mouth rather than stating as you did.
Sorry if I'm upset. Billy Shine, you have no respect for the guys who seriously replied to your question, by deleting your posts. I think it's not a forum's purpose. Remember that everything's excessive becomes derisory: I'm afraid it's the image you'll get for the future.
Last Edited by on Jun 30, 2012 11:13 PM
My intent was to answer the harp slide/spring question.
I had heard of the springless chromatic, I googled, and found that vid. The jazz comment was meant as a small joke, since I was aware of Billy's musical preferences from other posts. In the video the guy did demonstrate a springless chromatic at the start. I never had seen or heard of him before my Google search.
I had no intention of opening a can of worms.
tmf714, we can't even reach a common understanding of what blues is on this blues forum, much let jazz. The song he is playing in the video would be considered jazz by many chromatic players on Slidemeister. Whether it meets a standard of "real" jazz, I don't know or care. (Not that I would dispute your video choices being jazz)
Billy, I gather you made some now deleted comments about jazz that I missed between posts. Fair enough.
I am not heavily into jazz myself, and I opened the door with my little joke about only watching the start of the video. It is OK if you don't care for jazz.
I like some blues based jazz, but don't spend a lot of time listening to it. I tend to prefer roots music, including blues. I liked your blues video. I like Deak's stuff, too. I just saw him tonight at the blues festival in Champaign, IL. Also saw Lightnin' Malcom, John Nemeth, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and other blues acts.
The suggestions I made in my post are valid answers for the slide problem. Billy, I hope the suggestions were useful. ----------
Billy made no comments about jazz. The guy who wrote huge thoughts about that music has also deleted his post. Nothing in this thread is any longer comprehensible now.
Harmonica players can learn a Hell of a lot from horn players, especially tenor sax. Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, those guys. You'd be surprised how much you can learn just by paying attention.
I don't understand why a person would want a chromatic harp and not use the slide. You can buy solo tuned harps which is tuned like a chromatic with no slide. Having that slide opens a lot of doors to some great songs. ---------- Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
Sarge, some of us are just too dang lazy to learn what notes are where and where they fit with the slide pushed in. i am not proud of that myself but there it is. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
