Frankie
34 posts
Jan 29, 2018
11:56 PM
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Is there any way any app any tip to know if I am blowing too hard on my harmonica?
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MindTheGap
2470 posts
Jan 30, 2018
3:13 AM
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I reckon a tuner will do it for you. The harder you blow/draw, the flatter the note will go.
If you are doing all this fine tuning you mention to the nearest 1Hz (or whatever), then you'll quickly see it's a waste of effort as soon as you start to put too much air through the harp!
When tweaking tuning, I believe some people tune a bit sharp to counter this effect. I guess you have to make it personal to work with whatever level you play at in real life. (Is this correct SuperBee?)
Despite how it might appear, the diatonic harp is one of those instruments were you have to use your ear and technique to play it in tune, because the pitch is so flexible. That's why it's considered to be so expressive for blues and such.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 30, 2018 3:38 AM
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MindTheGap
2471 posts
Jan 30, 2018
3:14 AM
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...btw the received wisdom is that all beginners tend to blow/draw too hard. So it's likely.
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SuperBee
5230 posts
Jan 30, 2018
12:19 PM
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Certainly people do tune to compensate for the tendency to flatten notes with breath force. And it’s common to tune the draw side sharper than the blow side.
If you look at the info Seydel have published on their standard diatonic tuning you’ll see they tune draw about 2 cents sharper than blow.
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SuperBee
5231 posts
Jan 30, 2018
12:29 PM
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How do you tell if you’re blowing to hard? How hard do you need to blow to make the note sound? How hard can you blow before it stops getting louder?
That’s your working range. No point playing harder than the point the sound stops being louder, and no point playing softer than the place the sound starts.
So somewhere in between those 2 points is a good ‘default’ place. Then you can play both quieter and louder as the music suggests.
If your harp won’t get noticeably louder when you play harder, you’re playing too hard by default.
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