Tom585
107 posts
Sep 11, 2019
8:33 AM
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I had two students ask me questions yesterday that I wasn't sure of the answers:
1. What is the best way to remove reeds from the reed plate. I don't replace reeds so I sent her one of the YouTube videos. But any other advice is appreciated.
2. Do you breath through your nose while playing? Do you sometimes block yourself from breathing through the nose while playing? I was surprised that I really wasn't sure. I had never really thought about it. I played and it seems that I do nose breath continuously while playing (I think). Comments?
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The Iceman
3919 posts
Sep 11, 2019
11:15 AM
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Only able to answer question 2....
First you must understand the voluntary muscle used to open and close the nasal passage and be able to consciously control it by intent.
Finding it can sometimes be a bit tricky, as we were not raised with this particular awareness.
Exhale through your nose and mouth slowly - half way through your lung air capacity, switch quickly to blowing out a candle. Notice the difference in your sinus cavity. You've just closed that "flap" which keeps the air from entering the sinus cavity. This is what you must consciously open and close as needed when breathing through the harmonica.
I find that most of the time, this "flap" is closed when playing. Personally, I'll open it when needed in order to pull in or push out excess air as I regulate what is needed to keep playing, as harmonica is the one instrument you play with exhale as well as inhale.
We all know that feeling of inhaling/exhaling so much that we feel like we are going to burst- or run out of air. Using this additional muscle control will eliminate that problem by allowing a lot of air in or out very quickly at critical moments...
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Sep 11, 2019 1:59 PM
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SuperBee
6160 posts
Sep 11, 2019
3:43 PM
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No doubt the video was adequate.
Some people use a specialised pliers to remove reeds. One jaw has a pin which pushes the rivet out of the reed plate into a hole on the other jaw.
There are a couple of these awailable from retailers.
You can adjust them to leave the rivet in the reed. This can be handy if you are harvesting reeds to transplant.
I use a punch and anvil. The anvil needs some form of relief for the rivet to slide into. This could be a hole or slot.
You can still leave the rivet in the reed.
Some people use a punch and press. This is a good approach.
You could use a drill press with a suitable piece mounted in the chuck for instance
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bigd
666 posts
Sep 11, 2019
3:56 PM
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Iceman: Can you unpack how you trained yourself to open and close that "flap" ? " Personally, I'll open it when needed in order to pull in or push out excess air as I regulate what is needed to keep playing"...Thanks very much. d
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The Iceman
3920 posts
Sep 11, 2019
4:14 PM
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bigd - seems like you restated what I mentioned in regards to excess air.
"trained myself"? It is a voluntary muscle...once isolated, it is easy to control.
How does one learn to control their sphincter muscle? Same approach.
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The Iceman
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SuperBee
6161 posts
Sep 11, 2019
4:24 PM
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I seem to recall holding a harp in my mouth and inhaling/exhaling, switching between nose and mouth.
If you inhale/exhale through the harp and then can switch to nose only, keeping the tongue uninvolved I think that starts to focus on the movement required.
People who are familiar with diving and underwater breathing probably have it sorted
Last Edited by SuperBee on Sep 11, 2019 4:25 PM
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wolfkristiansen
432 posts
Sep 11, 2019
8:06 PM
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What follows has been said by Iceman and bigd, more or less, but let me add my take on it. The issue is important for blues harmonica players.
I play mostly blues, mostly second position. I haven't done a precise tally, but guess that 2/3 of my preferred bluesy notes require sucking, not blowing. My lungs fill faster than they empty.
Necessity is the mother of invention. I learned early in my bluesical journey to take advantage of the blow notes by exhaling through mouth and nose when those precious blow notes came up. Especially the long notes.
In a recent thread, forum members discussed the advantages/disadvantages of sounding the key note of a song by sucking hole 2 as opposed to blowing hole 3. My preference is to suck hole 2 because of the bluesy vibrato one can add. That said, I will sometimes blow hole 3 when I desperately need to empty the lungs.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
Last Edited by wolfkristiansen on Sep 11, 2019 9:47 PM
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Dragonbreath
105 posts
Sep 12, 2019
7:59 AM
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Besides using nose to help manage air, I normally always play with nasal passage closed. I have a very hard time with bends with it open and also the tone is better with it closed, for me. Except sometimes I do open my nasal passage while holding a strong root 2 draw note, if it sounds a little flat. Opening nasal passage for me kind of releases any pressure for the note to be bent down. I guess it's not recommended but It's just so quickly effective and easy. And I admit I have happened to cheat like this sometimes.
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Spderyak
293 posts
Sep 15, 2019
3:57 AM
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"Do you breath through your nose while playing? Do you sometimes block yourself from breathing through the nose while playing?"
...Yes..
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WinslowYerxa
1650 posts
Sep 15, 2019
6:09 PM
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Can you blow up a balloon?
The only way you can do that is if you close off the nasal passages.
Close your mouth and exhale, imagining that you're blow up that balloon. Your cheeks will bulge out because the air has no way to exit your mouth.
Now try to inhale. Your cheeks will suck in , again because no new air can come in, so the air in your mouth gets sucked downward toward your lungs.
One of the greats of the harmonica, Pete Pedersen, once remarked, "When I play, *all* the air goes through the harmonica."
That seems pretty hardcore, but when you think of it, any air not going through the harmonica is leakage that can weaken your tone and either fill up or empty out your lungs faster than if all the air goes through the harmonica.
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Thievin' Heathen
1164 posts
Sep 15, 2019
7:30 PM
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That's an interesting observation. We talk continuously on the virtues of cupping technique without ever mentioning the air and tone the might be going out our nose. Somewhere along the line, I think I must have developed closing the flap. Put me in the "all the air through the harmonica camp. If I'm ever breathing through my nose while playing, buy me a drink. I will have learned circular breathing and it will be reason to celebrate.
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SuperBee
6171 posts
Sep 16, 2019
2:53 AM
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Back in 2012-13 I had a bunch of lessons with Jimi Lee. I do believe the first topic addressed was just this. I’ve probably got a recording of that session.
The exercise he prescribed was what I was trying to recall in my post above.
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Spderyak
294 posts
Sep 16, 2019
4:34 AM
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I know, for the most part. I don't pay anymore attention to breathing when I play anymore than when I breathe when talking it just happens.
Looks like the difference between those who breathe their notes or not.
or those who say breathe the note but then don't do it...
or of course could be "none of the above"...
like the guy who played his harp through his nose
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