Tommy the Hat
527 posts
Dec 31, 2011
2:34 PM
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I've read posts here before about keeping harps in the car and weather not causing any problems. I have to wonder though because heat and cold do cause expansion and contraction. I keep three harps in my car; a Harpmaster Bb a Delta frost D and a Seydel blues session C. Yesterday I pulled out the Harpmaster and 5 hole draw is flat. Well, I think it's flat....it sounds like shit. There is no chord on that part of the harp because that note sounds so bad. For awhile it was actually completely dead on the draw. Blow was fine.
I first notice while playing a song. I took the harp out of the case started to play Help Me, hit 5 draw right aftewr that first set of warbles leading into the solo and WTF? I tried to get it to play right but it suddenly stopped making any sound at all. Today I opened it up and tried playing with the reed. It doesn't look cracked and the gap looked fine. Not much of a ping but maybe it isn't supposed to sound like the 4 reed ping (?, that's what I compared it to. Anyway, I played with it, got some paper between the reed and plate, stroked it, made sure it was clean (as best I could tell) and put her back together. No good. It has been real cold at night. Froze and damaged? Some spit froze and damaged a reed by pushing on it? Anyone keep harps in the car no matter the weather?
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Tommy
My Videos
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groyster1
1663 posts
Dec 31, 2011
11:03 PM
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I dont keep them in the car but in my coat pocket in the winter-you should not play a cold harp
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Steamrollin Stan
209 posts
Jan 01, 2012
2:23 AM
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i thinkn you've just blown them out Tom.
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Pistolcat
88 posts
Jan 01, 2012
3:34 AM
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Well if it's flat it's flat. But if it's chokeprone you could always try opening the gap some. What's to loose, right? I have had episodes of sticking/choking reeds but it was possible to fix with regapping.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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eharp
1640 posts
Jan 01, 2012
4:49 AM
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i ALWAYS keep at least 2 harps in the car.
i live in detroit where the weather can go from -10 to 100.
i have never had an issue.
i usually have had delta frosts in the car. this year i have also had 2 sp20s in the car.
before i play them when cold, i warm them up then begin to play them gently.
when they are hot, i try to cool them a bit which might just be sticking them out the window while driving.
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Tommy the Hat
528 posts
Jan 01, 2012
4:50 AM
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That's what I thought eharp that's why I asked. I was sure some one has said they always leave the harps in the car.
I don't play them cold.
It was fine one day and no good the next. The other two harps are ok.
I tried opening the gap but it did nothing. I tried closing but it completely choked it.
It's not a big deal, I have a couple of other Bb harps and this one is only a carry or harp for the car.
But I was wondering if weather extremes, especially below freezing, then warm to freezing then back to warm again etc. was bad for the harmonica. Because if it is, then in the future I won't leave them in the car all the time.
Maybe some spit froze in there and then pushed something out of line. Who knows. No big deal....just curious.
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Tommy
My Videos
Last Edited by on Jan 01, 2012 4:54 AM
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2chops
60 posts
Jan 01, 2012
5:03 AM
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I have 4 that I keep in the Jeep. I live in PA & have never had weather related tuning problems. I do like to hold them over the defroster when done playing in the colder months to dry out the moisture.
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Tommy the Hat
529 posts
Jan 01, 2012
6:00 AM
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I live in PA also. The defroster idea is good.
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Tommy
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Greg Heumann
1406 posts
Jan 01, 2012
8:40 AM
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I have ALWAYS kept my harps in the car. My main set. Because I practice when I'm driving. I don't believe any harm will come of them. They warm up virtually instantly when you hold/blow them.
EXCEPTION - The wind savers (valves) on valved diatonics and chromatics suffer in extreme heat - the kind you can get in your car in the summer. The reeds will warp and no longer do their job. Don't ask me how I know.
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/Greg
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Willspear
26 posts
Jan 01, 2012
8:42 AM
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I wouldnt keep wooden combed harps in the car. Temperature extremes and small pieces of wood do not go together.
I do however keep plastic combed harps in the car
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Tommy the Hat
532 posts
Jan 01, 2012
10:37 AM
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Thanks guys. Must have been something I did or something got in there. Just checking. I'd hate to not have spare harps in the car!! For now (being that it's 5 draw) I'm blaming "help Me." lol.
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Tommy
My Videos
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eharp
1642 posts
Jan 01, 2012
10:57 AM
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good point, willspear.
i wouldnt leave any wood combed harp in the car, either.
and i would only leave what i dont care if it is lost or stolen.
i can easily afford to replace a couple of delta frosts or sp20s.
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MJ
343 posts
Jan 01, 2012
11:25 AM
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I keep harps in my car and have never had a problem. I do live in a moderate climate though.
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Tommy the Hat
533 posts
Jan 01, 2012
11:36 AM
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Yea, the wood comb thing is kind of a no brainer. But most things expand and contract so I was curious about the reeds. Obviously wood expanding and contracting is bad and combined with warping and sound etc I definitely wouldn't keep wood combs in the car. Like I said, just curious. No biggie since, as eharp said, replacing harps in this price range isn't a big deal.
Then again, that's why I never understand replacing reed plates in harps like these...I'd just buy a new harp. What's the difference...about 10 bucks?
But that's is a different thread isn't it. lol
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Tommy
My Videos
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clyde
207 posts
Jan 01, 2012
11:50 AM
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about the wood combed harps. i have kept my circa 1978 C blues harp in the car every day for the last eight years.....no problem......i keep it in the box on a little dash shelf and it plays great....of course i don't
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gmacleod15
150 posts
Jan 01, 2012
5:45 PM
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I live in Nova Scotia. Our winter temperature swings above and below freezing regularly. I always keep Lee Oskar's in the car. These were not my favorite harps so I thought I would just leave them in the car (I keep my favorites in the house). Because they are always close they get played regular. Some are almost 10 years old.
Anyway the harps play better then they ever did (wink wink).
Long story short I have learned to play better and the LOs are doing fine in the car. I might even take some in the house as they have become good players.
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MBH member since 2009-03-24
Last Edited by on Jan 02, 2012 5:59 AM
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mrdon46
79 posts
Jan 02, 2012
12:22 AM
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Always keep harps in the car, the only problem I've had was when I inhaled an earwig that had taken refuge in my A (I always give them a good shake now before using). At one point I even made a holder for my entire range of harps that velcroed to my dash so I could practice while driving--but I soon found out that when I got into my playing I'd lose track of my speed and find I was doing 80. Now I just keep one or 2 that I can use to try to duplicate a riff that I like while listening to the radio or CD.
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Tommy the Hat
536 posts
Jan 02, 2012
4:16 AM
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Well, I've tried opening the gap and closing it. Tried to clean it as well as a generally messing around with it and it's still the same so I have no clue what happened to it. I'm not going to give it anymore thought. I tossed it in the draw...done.
I still have the "D" and "C" harps in the car. I play the D a lot. The C not so much only because it's a Blues session and I don't particularly care for it.
I still have 2 more Bb's but I'll get another harp for the car to replace this one that broke at some point.
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Tommy
My Videos
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dougharps
144 posts
Jan 02, 2012
9:18 AM
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I keep 8 Lee Oskars in the car, summer and winter. I do use the vents to bring them to normal temperature if they are really hot (don't want to burn my lips) or really cold (minimize condensation on the reeds).
I have never had a problem with the harps.
I don't leave wooden bodied harps or valved chromatics in the car, but I did buy an Educator 10 for that purpose.
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Doug S.
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groyster1
1665 posts
Jan 02, 2012
9:22 AM
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I dont keep harps in the car but try and always have 1 available-when I come to a traffic standstill I immediately grab it to pass the time
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Greg Heumann
1413 posts
Jan 02, 2012
5:54 PM
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Tommy - almost any harp player whose been around a while will tell you that blowing out the 5 reed is common among beginners. Here's why. The blow and draw notes in that hole are only a half step apart. That means you can only bend the 5 draw about 1/4 step. But your mouth and brain don't really appreciate that at first. You're used to runnin' all over the harp, straining to bend anywhere you can. And because your bending isn't as good as it will be, say, 5 years from now, (trust me on this. Your bends get better and better and better for YEARS) you're blowing and sucking too hard and straining and the reeds suffer. You unconsciously try to bend the 5 just like you do 1-4 and guess what - it doesn't like it! It overstresses the reed. My first few years I went through a LOT of harps and it was almost always the 5 hole that went (can't remember if it was the blow or draw). Then one day I realized I had stopped burning through harps. The difference, looking back, was that I wasn't trying to bend a note that wouldn't bend, and I was able to bend while playing quieter with less effort.
It wasn't the weather.
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/Greg
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groyster1
1667 posts
Jan 02, 2012
6:04 PM
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the advice I have got from unnamed forum members-dont bend 5 draw or 7blow......you cant get anymore notes out of them and they will damage the reeds.....Im staying with that.....dont want to argue case closed
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Tommy the Hat
538 posts
Jan 03, 2012
4:39 AM
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@Greg,
Thanks, that makes a lot of sense and will go in my notes! Especially since it's my Bb harp. I've been playing that riff/lick from "Help Me" that includes 5 blow and 5 draw and 4 draw bent. I'm sure that trying to play it fast and getting tongue tied can easily lead to the accidental bending of the 5 draw you mention.
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Tommy
My Videos
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HawkeyeKane
590 posts
Jan 03, 2012
7:02 AM
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I almost always have harps in my car. My hero gig-set to be precise. I'm usually so shot when I get home from a gig that I just wind up leaving all my gear locked up in my trunk. This, of course, leads to them emulating the frostbitten pole in A Christmas Story in the winter months ("I triple-dog-dare ya!"). Warming them up before a show usually doesn't take too long though.
But in terms of practicing in the car, I haven't done it in a long time. I have my 19 month old son in the car with me a great deal of the time, and while he loves harp music, playing harp can lead to diminished attention to the road. With my son in the car, that's not a good move.
But I may go ahead and get another 7-harp set of Piedmonts to keep in my glove box to practice with when the situation allows. I can warm them up a bit by switching the car's heater to the bottom vents only and setting the open case in the floorboard.
Yeah, they're cheap and cheesy. But they have the plastic coverplates that'll be easier on the lips in winter, the reedplates aren't completely metal so they wont react to temperature variances as badly, and I can take my practice time out on something inexpensive rather than using my heroes and risking a blowout while I'm putzing around with them.
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Jan 03, 2012 7:04 AM
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Tommy the Hat
576 posts
Jan 26, 2012
4:48 PM
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So another harp kept in the car hit the crapper!
My Delta Frost (D) that I also keep in the car went flat on the 4 draw. I haven't played in in awhile.
I opened it and plinked the reed and it sounded dead. On the next plink it broke right off. So I went back to open the Harpmaster that I originally posted about to have a look (I haven't touched it since I started this thread). I plinked the reed and it too was dead... not a sound. I checked it again and it too broke off.
I am now assuming a hole that goes flat indicates a crack in the reed.
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Tommy
My Videos
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Greg Heumann
1446 posts
Jan 26, 2012
9:15 PM
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It ain't because you keep them in the car. I promise. It MIGHT be because that happens to be where you play them!
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/Greg
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STME58
67 posts
Jan 26, 2012
10:31 PM
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I keep my harps in my briefcase and it does not stay in my car. I always have one or two in my pocket. I blow out a lot of 7 blow and 5 blow reeds. The time between blown reeds is getting longer so i strongly suspect technique. I just sucefull replaced my first reed. A few more and the Seydel tool kit will have paid for itself.
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MrVerylongusername
2170 posts
Jan 27, 2012
8:58 AM
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Perhaps the background noise of driving makes you play louder? (i.e. harder)
Harps do not blow out because they get cold, they blow out because they get played too hard.
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Tommy the Hat
577 posts
Jan 27, 2012
10:04 AM
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When I originally posted this a few weeks ago I was wondering about the weather extremes but I'm not suggesting that with my latest post. I was more or less making the point about the sound of the harp preceding the reed breaking off. Now I am going to assume (next time I hear that sound) that it is a cracked reed.
The playing louder in the car thing is a good point. I had noticed I was doing that not only because of extra noise in the car but because I would be closed in with the music very loud. Playing over the music can't be good.
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Tommy
Last Edited by on Jan 27, 2012 10:04 AM
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MP
1978 posts
Jan 27, 2012
10:40 AM
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if you play a harp long enough, any harp, eventually one or more reeds will fatigue. depending on how hard you play it, it could take 2 weeks or 10 years or more-but they will fatigue.
they don't always crack. sometimes they will hold their pitch but have lost volume, snap, and overtones.
people who own a custom harp may notice that after a few years their custom harp sounds like a good OOB harp and not special at all.
anyway, that is why Seydel, Hohner, etc. have tool kits available. reed fatigue is inevitable. just some thoughts on the matter. cheers! mark
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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groyster1
1715 posts
Jan 27, 2012
11:33 AM
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yo mark yes old age is inevitable just like me and my 18 year old sony TV-its all about having a sense of humor about-I am mystified about those pre war marine bands that still play,who knows maybe sonny boy played them,maybe they were not played much or maybe they were not abused
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