walterharp
1418 posts
Jun 19, 2014
11:22 AM
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I am under the impression I can play faster on a higher keyed harp. Is that just me or is it real?
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Frank
4563 posts
Jun 19, 2014
12:18 PM
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IT's both...it is "just you" and it is real
If you can't play fast on a lower harp - it is also "just you" and is real
So...regardless of harps, high or low -
YOU, are ultimately the deciding factor in the speed that does or doesn't take place in your playing:)
Your impression is correct and "real"!
Last Edited by Frank on Jun 19, 2014 12:21 PM
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MP
3234 posts
Jun 19, 2014
12:21 PM
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Yes
That is the reason Charlie McCoy plays Orange Blossom Special in C rather than E. It's a rapid fire bluegrass fiddle tune. In the original fiddle key it would be dull sounding on the low end.
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Last Edited by MP on Jun 19, 2014 12:24 PM
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GMaj7
439 posts
Jun 19, 2014
12:21 PM
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Higher key harps have smaller/shorter reeds. The column of air needed to set them into motion or "speak" is much smaller so the reaction time is shorter. Higher key harps will play faster.. but there is a limit to this based on the type of reed and material..
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
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arzajac
1404 posts
Jun 19, 2014
12:58 PM
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Actually, Seydel stainless and Suzuki Manji/Olive are all long-slot, no matter the key. Some other models are all short-slot depending on the key. Hohner Marine Band type harps have two slot lengths depending on the key.
Regardless of the slot length, the effect is felt - higher keys feel more responsive ("Faster") no matter what brand/model. So it's not slot length that's responsible for this.
In a study by Johnson in 1989 (Pitch control in harmonica playing), he looked at harmonica reeds and published a graph of force versus frequency. Basically, once the reed starts to produce its pitch, the effort it takes to keep it moving goes way down. The higher the pitch, the less effort it takes to get it started - hence the feeling that higher keyed harps are "faster"
So the effect is real, it's not just you!
That being said, if you play a leaky harp, you will suffer from a delay between the time you make your effort and the time the reed actually starts to move. Also, adjusting the reed shape for optimal response can make it "faster". So an airtight, reed-adjusted low harp can play "faster" than a high key out-of-the-box harp.
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Last Edited by arzajac on Jun 19, 2014 1:16 PM
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STME58
919 posts
Jun 19, 2014
1:06 PM
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By definition, higher pitches cycle faster. You have to have a least one cycle to hear the pitch, probably more. I don't know weather the difference between 1/440th of a second and 1/880th of a second for A vs high A is significant, but there is a reason a higher pitch could be perceived sooner after it started. I expect this difference is buried in other issues pertaining to getting the reed swinging and the air column vibrating.
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