|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Gapping on different keys
Gapping on different keys
Page:
1
mankycodpiece
3 posts
Dec 02, 2009
12:17 PM
|
I've moved over from playing chromatic all my life to blues harp.
I have Special 20s in keys G A C D Eb and lower F.
The problem i have is that i can get all the bends on the A and Eb and most of the bends on the others.
i did the gapping myself which seems that i havent made a good job of it or don't know what i'm doing.
should the gaps be the same for every key (which i've done) or should they vary.
i've set the blow reeds fairly close.
i don't understand why 2 harps play great and the rest don't.
any advice welcome.
|
harpwrench
121 posts
Dec 02, 2009
12:50 PM
|
The answer to your question is no..... they might all be different, even for harps in the same key.
Here's how it works. A reed is a spring. Your breath passing over the reed aerodynamically pulls the reed toward the slot, against the spring force within the reed (which can be/usually is different for different reeds). When a reed is gapped correctly for your playing, the spring resistance at the time the reed crosses the plane of the slot is matched to the aerodynamic force you normally apply to the reed with your breath. So you have multiple factors....reed tension, aerodynamic differences, etc.
When you bend a note, the opposite reed comes into play, except that it works backwards. To initiate, it first swings away from the slot, then back into it. (Example...3 draw bend, is actually the 3 blow singing when bent down). In this case if the blow reed is gapped too wide, it will take harder breath force to make it work, and when it does it might not work smoothly, or intonate nicely on all the available bends.
I put a series of vids on youtube (choppajoe/Joe Spiers) demonstrating gapping reeds in a simple manner. The idea I'm trying to get across is how to simply adjust them by feel (and sound), so that they oscillate as properly as possible within the constraints of other parameters (that are more complicated to address). Sorry for the long post, but if you can sort it all out it should help you.
|
Hobostubs Ashlock
158 posts
Dec 02, 2009
12:58 PM
|
so if your buying a custom how do they know how to set up the harp for your playing?
Last Edited by on Dec 02, 2009 12:59 PM
|
barbequebob
151 posts
Dec 02, 2009
1:30 PM
|
Before you buy any custom harp, a reputable customizer is usually gonna contact you personally to find out what your playing style is all about, whether you're a traditonal blues player, overblow player, prefer ET or JI or comprimise tuning, etc., and as a player, you better know what your playing needs are first because this is not like buying out of the box, which is made for the masses, and with customs, it's set up for you and no one else. The average player often really doesn't have a clue as to where their playing is at and just look at the cheapest price possible, not telling them, expecting these guys to read their minds, and then bitch and moan because it wasn't set up for what they wanted.
Now why all this info? Because the harps have to be setup totally different for different playing needs and thinking out of the box, one size fits all, is one HUGE mistake. Certain setups, like for overblows, for instance, costs more money because of the amount of labor needed to get them done properly.
Joe Spiers is one of the VERY best guys in the business, and what he just told you is 100% true, so trust me, the man clearly knows what he's talking about.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
harpwrench
122 posts
Dec 02, 2009
2:30 PM
|
As harmonica technology continually evolves among the best technicians, the better one harp setup can work for a wider range of breath force and dynamics, and will please most players. Asking the right questions/listening to sound clips will usually give me enough info to alert me if they're pushing the boundaries of that setup and require a deviation from that.
|
tookatooka
817 posts
Dec 02, 2009
2:44 PM
|
Joe, it's often said that the arc on a reed plays an important role but I've not seen any YouTubes showing how to do it and how to get the best arc. What's your take on that? It doesn't get much of a mention.
----------
|
tookatooka
819 posts
Dec 02, 2009
4:31 PM
|
Oh! Thanks.
----------
Last Edited by on Dec 02, 2009 4:32 PM
|
mankycodpiece
4 posts
Dec 03, 2009
2:20 AM
|
Thanks for your time lads.
It seems that i just got lucky with the 2 harps that play OK.
I purchased a copy of Harmonica for dummies by Winslow Yerxa where there is a piece about it and watched Adams lesson on you tube to.
harpwrench,i'll have to study what you've said to get a hold on it.it's probably simpler than i think it is right now.
|
apskarp
70 posts
Dec 03, 2009
3:00 AM
|
For me it has also been a revelation how much these things are interdependent. As I have been gapping my harps more tight to get the OB's I have had to adjust my breath force too. And by doing that I have actually understood how much meaning the dynamics can have in the music. The music becomes so much richer when you emphasis some parts of the song with louder volume levels etc.
It's really great stuff! Now I begin to understand in concrete why some people are saying that learning to work with the reeds and harps will make you a better player too!
|
barbequebob
155 posts
Dec 03, 2009
3:30 PM
|
Apskarp, you also now have in additon, a lesson as to why breath control and breath force is an extremely important issue for harmonica playing as well. IF you play with too much force from the get go, you basically flush the idea of dynamics right doen the toilet, and dynamics absolutely depends BIG TIME on breath control, and with thc closer gap for the OB's, it's a good way to learn to use less breath, and when you begin to play a chromatic, or a 1/2 valved diatonic like the valved version of the Suzuki Promaster, it's real important because those harps do not respond well to being played hard.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by on Dec 04, 2009 1:19 PM
|
mankycodpiece
5 posts
Dec 04, 2009
3:54 AM
|
i've just purchased a promaster,the valved one.
i thought i'd give it a go after reading somewhere that they took the valves off because they didn't like them.i like the idea of bendin up scale and bottm end though.
i play quite hard so was interested to read in barbequebob's post about playing the promaster easier than i do.
i've eased up on the power with my special 20s with no ill effect so that seems the way to go.
harpwrench,i've had a look at some of your you tube videos' the 1 2 and 3,i'll try it your way next time i try gapping.thanks.
|
barbequebob
164 posts
Dec 04, 2009
1:22 PM
|
Mankycodpiece, using less breath force will improve EVERYTHING about your playing, from agility, tone, accuracy of intonation and articulation, tonal variety, dynamics, plus you will feel winded CONSIDERABLY less, plus you have the added financial benefit of not blowing out harps at a rapid rate, and using too much breath force is really bad playing technique. Trust me, within less than a month, with less breath force will make everything you do easier and you will sound much better.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
Post a Message
|
