Philosofy
632 posts
Jan 01, 2015
8:54 PM
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I was tinkering with my 2nd set of harp, and found I could only get a high pitch squeal from the 10 blow on my F#. I took the covers off, and was able to plink the reed ok. Then I put my mouth over the offending reed, and inhaled and got a clean note. So I know the reed swings freely. But when I try to blow in the chamber, I just get the squeal. I tried both lip pursing and tongue blocking, playing soft and hard, and when I play hard I can get a note, but it quickly changes to the squeal. Any ideas what's going on?
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GMaj7
580 posts
Jan 01, 2015
9:37 PM
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Probably bumping the slot. The plate is binding or slightly warping when you tighten the screws down.
Try setting it on the comb without tension and blow and see what happens.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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Philosofy
633 posts
Jan 01, 2015
10:07 PM
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Thanks, I'll give that a try tomorrow.
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Dragonbreath
37 posts
Jan 02, 2015
3:41 AM
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You say BLOW 10 squeels, then say it's ok when you inhale (DRAW)? Do you really mean that BLOW squeels or did you mean to say DRAW? Because the reeds on the outside that you can plink are the DRAW reeds so plinking those won't help your BLOW reeds. The BLOW reeds are on the other reed plate, they're the "hidden" ones.
Just making sure you haven't got things mixed up.
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harpwrench
957 posts
Jan 02, 2015
6:07 AM
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It's leaking resonance, through the gaps and probably between reed plates/comb. When you lip the back of the slot and draw it takes all that out of the equation.
Last Edited by harpwrench on Jan 31, 2015 6:35 PM
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Philosofy
634 posts
Jan 02, 2015
7:36 AM
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Dragonbreath: its a blow reed. When I inhale over the top of the reed with no cover plates, it plays fine. In other words, instead of blowing from the bottom, the way its designed, I inhale from the other side.
And thanks, Joe!
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Philosofy
635 posts
Jan 02, 2015
1:51 PM
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This is confusing. I took the harp apart, and put the reed plates on a different comb. Same problem. I took the draw reed plate off, and could play the note while holding it to the comb, and by taking the blow reed plate off the comb. So I'm thinking its an interaction between the draw and blow reeds. So I increase the gap slightly on the draw reed, and re assemble the harp. I still get the same problem, but once and awhile I can coax the note out with more breath force. I can't get any bend on it, though. The reed plates and covers are Suzuki Bluesmaster, and the comb is a custom brass that I made. The second comb I tried was a Manji.
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orphan
384 posts
Jan 02, 2015
5:39 PM
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Could it be the rivet and/or reed pad is not seated properly?
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