monochrome
1 post
Nov 06, 2009
4:07 AM
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Hello everybody. I woke up five days ago knowing close to nothing about blues harmonica. I just knew that I wanted to learn how to do that simple riff in Love Me Do. Lame, right?
But then I bumped into Adam Gussow and Jason Ricci's intstructional videos on YouTube, and now I'm hooked. I've gotta say I just listened to more Blues today than I have my whole life!
Now I got a Suzuki Bluesmaster 10 hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C. It's not extremely expensive compared to a lot of the ones you pros and serious musicians are using, but it pretty much ate up a lot of my measly allowance. Erm, yeah. Just 17 and not earning money of my own so... *cough* Moving on.
I thought this Harmonica, not being exactly what I'd call cheap, would last a long time. Just a couple of hours ago, the five hole draw just stopped working. I had just learned how to bend the 1 and 2 holes, so I was so happy. I decided to do the little Love Me Do riff that got me hooked to celebrate, only to find that NO SOUND was coming from the 5 hole draw at all! I could just hear myself wheezing from trying really really hard to produce a sound.
After getting lightheaded from all the different kinds of drawing in of air I was trying, I decided to open it up. This may have been a mistake, 'cause I clumsily ended up bending the reed of the six hole draw. Which, strangely enough, seems perfectly fine, save for being a bit more shrill.
I probably can't afford a new one any time soon, plus that harmonica was hard enough to find, and I can't find any sort of harmonica repair shop 'cause I'm based in Manila. So the costs of shipping in replacement reed plates would probably be the same as buying a new harmonica all together. Is there any way I can try to fix it, since I already kind of broke it already? Also, what could have caused it to break? I may have used that note a lot (I really enjoyed the sound of 5 draw, hehe) and I kiiind of played for 5 hours straight too. Could that have put too much strain on it?
I think I just might buy a cheapo one in Bb so I can play along with Adam. Still, the thought of going through a month harmonica-less is already driving me insane. :(
Short and sweet version without me rambling and being really sad:
Suzuki Bluesmaster 10 hole diatonic harmonica in C, practically brand new, broken 5 hole draw after prolonged continuous playing. Cause of death? Does Suzuki really just suck?
Last Edited by on Nov 06, 2009 4:09 AM
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monochrome
2 posts
Nov 06, 2009
4:19 AM
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Okay. After reading around some of the topics here, I found that people are referring to reeds "blowing out" and stuff. I guess it really was just too much abuse for it.
So lemme change the question, as to not make this topic useless: Have you ever broken a harmonica? Is this common for total newbies like myself (Say yes so I don't feel so bad, hehe)?
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tookatooka
744 posts
Nov 06, 2009
4:21 AM
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Monochrome, the most common reason for a reed to stop playing is probably because a little bit of gunk (food, lip skin or something similar) has got in there and is preventing the reed from vibrating. Open the harp up carefully and just ping (plink) the reeds gently. Thet should move anything that has got caught. Use a magnifying glass and have a good look if it doesn't and remove any suspect bits of dirt.
The Suzuki BluesMaster is an excellent well made harp and there is no reason why it should stop playing after such a short while unless it has been very badly mistreated or draw/blown into really really hard.
Try that first Mono, if that doesn't cure the problem come back and let us know. There is a lot of information on here about customising which may help but first off let me say I'm not suggesting you should customise but if you watch some of the customising videos they'll show you how to plink the reeds and generally strip harps down etc. You may be able to fix your six reed too.
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Last Edited by on Nov 06, 2009 4:26 AM
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Buzadero
192 posts
Nov 06, 2009
4:25 AM
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I echo the oral hygiene admonishments of Herr Tookatooka. You will find that harp players have some of the best toothbrush habits going.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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monochrome
3 posts
Nov 06, 2009
5:25 AM
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Unfortunately, what I mentioned earlier, with the six draw being bent? I counted from the wrong side. The bent one was the problematic five draw. Thinking I didn't really have much else to lose since the damage was done, I tried to unlodge the suspected Bac-O chunk, but the reed of snapped in half.
It was like my first heartbreak all over again.
Okay now I'm just trying to soften the blow by making fun of myself, but that was a really sad Oh Crap! moment for me. I'm going to go and brush my teeth as a form of penance, if that really had been the problem that led to me bending the reed to begin with.
This shouldn't stop me from figuring out that darn bend on the 2 hole draw, though.
Oh, and I tried to read up on the customizing and repairing and... well, my head started spinning a few words into some articles I Googled up. Really finicky handywork is not for me.
But really, thanks for the help you guys! I'll probably come back with a cleaner smile, and maybe in a few weeks time, a new harmonica (if I'm lucky).
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Damon
13 posts
Nov 06, 2009
5:35 AM
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When I first started, I played "love me do" a fair bit for my mates band and the same thing happened, 5 draw kicked in.
And when i tried tinkering with it it just fell off :[
I guess its just technique, I havnt blew a 5 draw since.
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monochrome
4 posts
Nov 06, 2009
5:41 AM
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Love Me Do must be the kiss of death on the five hole draw when in the hands of a beginner. Pretty crazy how it did the exact same thing to another harmonica on the other side of the world. Haha.
Moment of silence for both our five draws, Damon. Sigh.
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tookatooka
745 posts
Nov 06, 2009
5:56 AM
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Sorry to hear that Mono. Look, you still have 1 - 4 blow and draw to be playing with while you wait to get another harp. 1 - 4 is where you get most of your bends so you can at least be practicing those while you wait. As you are a newcomer to the harp, I'd get a C if I was you. You mentioned a Bb to learn Adams lessons but to be honest, Adams lessons are for a more advanced player in my opinion. The C harp would give you far greater scope for learning because there is so much more in the way of tutorials for the C than a Bb.
Once you get the C figured out and you've progressed a bit then go for the Bb. Don't get a cheapie harp, it will frustrate you and your learning may suffer. The BlueMaster or HarpMaster (both Suzuki) would be an ideal one to start with. I use them all the time and can't fault them at all.
Once again, sorry about your Harp. Don't throw it, use it to practice your bends on the lower notes and then keep it for spares if you intend getting more Suzukis. The parts for the HarpMaster and BluesMaster are interchangable and don't forget replacement reedplates are available if your budget is limited.
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barbequebob
54 posts
Nov 06, 2009
9:09 AM
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The single biggest cause of harp blowout is playing with far too much breath force all the time, and it usually leads to playing with an extremely wet mouth as well.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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scstrickland
292 posts
Nov 07, 2009
12:50 PM
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I agree with 2xTooka about the C harp. It is what you need for most instruction. I played along with Adam for a long time with a C- harp. I knew it was the wrong key but was focusing on technique and counting and not making sure I sounded exactly the same as Adam.
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oda
154 posts
Nov 07, 2009
1:46 PM
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I vote to start a "get monochrome a new harp fund"
I will pitch in 7.50 cents.
(srsly)
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tookatooka
749 posts
Nov 07, 2009
3:35 PM
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oda, I don't know if you are being serious but if you mean $7.50, I'll match it.
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