BlueDoc
34 posts
Feb 15, 2011
9:31 PM
|
I recently acquired a Seydel Blues Session harp in Low-Low-F. It is a lot of fun to play, especially on the lowest three reeds, which are SUPER deep and sound like a bass harmonica. I tried bending notes, as I would do with diatonics in higher tunings, but found I couldn't get these lowest three reeds to bend. I could bend other reeds, but in general the harp was pretty slow to respond, on a lot of the other notes as well. I opened up the harp, thinking I'd adjust the gaps, and found that these three lowest reeds are weighted with big blobs of solder (that's what makes them sound so low), and they have windsavers on them. In addition, I noticed that the reeds are very "loose" in their slots. By this I mean that the reed slots are cut considerably larger than the reeds. When I held a reed plate up to my laptop screen (which I used as a light box) I could see quite a lot of light all around. It's the sort of situation that one would address by embossing the slots--unless the slots need to be cut a bit larger, on account of the extra low tuning.
So now I'm wondering whether the reason I can't bend on holes 1 - 3 has to do with the windsavers, the weighted reeds, or the oversized slots. Would attempting to emboss these slots and/or remove the windsavers be a mistake? Have any of you customizers out there played around with these extra-low tuned harps?
thanks in advance for your help
Last Edited by on Feb 15, 2011 9:33 PM
|
jim
727 posts
Feb 16, 2011
2:03 AM
|
It would be best to turn it to a tuning that doesn't need bends, like I did with mine for example:
Harmonicatta
Don't even think of embossing it! You will spend the rest of your days centering the reed, and will never accomplish it.
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
captainbliss
446 posts
Feb 16, 2011
4:52 AM
|
@jim:
Hamonicatta? Like it! Thanks for sharing!
xxx
|
jim
731 posts
Feb 16, 2011
8:26 AM
|
I played that on LLF harmonic minor. Minimum changes - maximum playing fun. Any key below LC sucks as richter - imho... You can't use bends (well okay you can, but they would sound like and exercise), and it generally doesn't sound like blues or whatever.
Tunings to consider for superlow keys:
Arabic
Harmonic Minor
Solo
Circular
Circular harmonic minor
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
isaacullah
1387 posts
Feb 16, 2011
9:12 AM
|
Was the harp you used for Harmonicatta tuned to regular Harmonic Minor, or to circular Harmonic Minor?
----------
== I S A A C ==
View my videos on YouTube!
|
jim
733 posts
Feb 16, 2011
9:38 AM
|
regular harmonic minor. Circular harm minor would be less "tasty" on chords - but waaay more useful on single-note playing since the bottom octave would be 100% complete too.
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
nacoran
3810 posts
Feb 16, 2011
10:31 AM
|
The wind-savers should make it easier to bend. I took them off my LLF though because I didn't like how they stuck all the time. They bend a little easier as you break them in, but they are still tough. I can't bend the one hole. Make sure to store it on it's back. The reed weights will mess with your gaps if you store it laying flat and can mess with the alignment if you store it on it's end.
There are some other neat sounds you can get from them that don't work on higher harps. Lip pops sound awesome. Here is something I put together with tracks. It's my LLF and a regular C. I need to redo it, but it gives you an idea of the lip pop thing. As for the slow response, a lot of that is just the weight of the reeds. You kind of have to learn to start the note early to get there on time. (That's one of the reasons I want to rerecord this. I fell behind the beat a little.) Tongue blocked octaves sound great too!
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
nacoran
3812 posts
Feb 16, 2011
10:42 AM
|
Jim, that harmonicatta is cool. I accidentally started it at the same time as MAL's loop track in another thread. They sounded great together.
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/955844.htm?page=1
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
BlueDoc
35 posts
Feb 16, 2011
11:34 AM
|
@Jim, thanks for your advice. I liked harmonicatta. Is there a list somewhere (such as the Seydel website) describing the tunings you mentioned?
@nacoran, the lip pop technique is cool.
I'm looking forward to playing around some more with this.
|
jim
734 posts
Feb 16, 2011
11:47 AM
|
harp-o-matic----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
