I've just started playing again after two decades. This might sound stupid, but I still have my old harps. Is it my playing or the harps because they are hard to draw on and sound breathy. Can they be cleaned or restored? Damn things cost $35 bucks now. Thanks.
Bad, no I don't think so, not in that sense. But maybe the combs might shrink or warp, maybe there could be some corrosion or dust etc. maybe you lost you're embouchure a little. What kind of harps? Why not take them apart, clean them, check the gaps, sand the combs a little. ----------
A lot of things go bad when they have been sitting for years. I have a great high quality racing bicycle that used to go 50 miles in about 2.5 hours. Now that it has been sitting for years it won't go anywhere near that fast. It's lost a lot of power on hills too. Maybe the chain needs cleaning.
I reckon that chain probably does need cleaning and lubricating. And the hubs probably need repacking with fresh grease. Your tyres may need attention too. And you could have some corrosion, spokes don't always hold their tension for years, cables dry up and don't run smooth in the housings. I realise you jest but if you were gonna start riding again, one of the first things you'd do would be to attend to the machine and service it to ensure it was working efficiently. And it would be fun, part of the process of getting back in shape, respect for your tools. ----------
The fact that they were played means that they were in contact with moisture. So after 20 years, I would assume there is some decay and corrosion. I can guarantee that the comb is no longer as air-tight as it once was and that is the key part to a well-playing harp.
I see you got my humourous but also serious point and I also get yours. I used to be a bicycle mechanic. I have done to both my road and track bikes what you described as I brought them out of mothballs and started using them again (well, I didn't do the brake work on the track bike).
I took some courses on the track and learned a valuble lesson that also applies to harmonica playing. I was having trouble with speed wobbles in sprints to the finish line. I could find nothing wrong with the bike. The coach watched me and told me to relax. What! I'm doing 30MPH between another rider and a chain link fence, the bike starts wobbling, and you want me to relax! The coach worked with me a bit and soon I was able to relax enough that the speed wobbles went away.
As I started to write this I thought the commonality to harp playing was learning to relax even though you may be nervous. I now realize that another common point, just as important, is the value of good coaching.
Anyone know a good harp instructor in the San Diego area?
Last Edited by on Jul 06, 2012 7:26 AM
I raced on the road until my neck started pinching nerves too regularly. Track is a whole different level of nerve. Full on. I sold all my good road gear before it became totally obsolete. I think the track is not so bad that way, not so many posers thinking the secret is in having the latest gear. Track seems a harder-edge form of cycle sport to me. My neck has been pretty good for a few months and now I wish I had a good bike! Ha ha. I have a classic steel frame still and some good wheels and handlebars. Think I'll build a bike to roll about on, maybe start on it tomorrow. I expect you probably have a few good tutors in that area. No harp tutors in my area, but I've been taking harp lessons via Skype, with one of the MBH-endorsed tutors. I think it's good. As close as you can get without actually being in the same room. I'm getting a lot from it. ----------
Pauly, not really. Are they wood? If they are unsealed wood, the wood will dry out over time. Just playing it will moisturize it again. When they get dry, they get leaky.
---------- David
____________________ At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong. R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne Elk River Institute for Advanced Harmonica Studies
"I ain't gonna sing no 'Home on the Range.' No. sir. Not if it means I rot in here another month. I'm gonna sing what I'm a gonna be! A free man in the morning!" Andy Griffith (as Lonesome Rhodes, "A Face in the Crowd).
