The Harmonica Bail Out - Part III Monster Harmonica Workbench with Kinya Pollard

Transcription

1 The Harmonica Bail Out - Part III Monster Harmonica Workbench with Kinya Pollard Mel Bay s HarmonicaSessions ezine April 2009 Motivated by a severe economic environment, I took this opportunity to create a series of articles that will help our readers keep costs down by instructing them on proven techniques of harmonica restoration. Last issue, I demonstrated the process of replacing reeds. For this installment of the Harmonica Bail Out series, the focus will be on tuning the harmonica. We all know playing an out of tune instrument is a sure way not to get invited back onto the bandstand! Anatomy of Tuning To raise (+) the pitch of a flat reed, material must be removed from the free (vibrating) part of the reed. This will lighten the weight and enable the reed to vibrate faster. To lower (-) the pitch of a sharp reed, material must be removed from the fixed (riveted) part of the reed. Conversely, this will weigh down the free end and enable the reed to vibrate slower. Tool List Chromatic Tuner displaying the pitch in cents o Digital: Peterson VSII (or current model) o Analog: Seiko ST (or current model).002 feeler gauge* Jeweler s file* Narrow chisel or small round scraping tool* Plinking tool* Spring Loaded Mini Clamps (MM #81839) Compressed Air: small air brush compressor (MM #84127) works best, or a can of compressed air (office supply store) As passionate harmonica players, our huffing and puffing have a tendency to flatten the notes of our harmonica, making us out of tune with the rest of the band. Calibrating your chromatic tuner to 442Hz, slightly sharper than concert A440Hz will safe guard you from this problem. * Harmonica tool kits available from Hohner, Lee Oskar, Seydel, Hering, etc. 1

2 For ease of learning the following tuning techniques, target all pitches to 0 (zero) cents, also known as Equal Temperament (e.g. Hohner Golden Melody and Lee Oskar). Once you have become proficient, experiment with other types of tuning, such as Compromised Just Intonation (Hohner Special 20, Marine Band, etc.). Blow Reeds Attach the reed plates onto the comb: Blow reed plate on top (longer reeds to your left with the reed rivets facing mouthpiece) Draw reed plate on bottom (longer reeds to your left with the rivets facing away from mouthpiece) 2

3 Tip: Rather than replacing the reed and cover plate screws, use the small clamps to sandwich everything together. Using normal volume, blow into the #1 hole. If the Tuner display falls below 0 (zero), for example -8, the reed is flat and requires raising (sharping) the pitch by 8 cents. 3

4 Disassemble the harmonica and place the blow reed upside down on your workbench, with the rivets facing away from you. Saliva and condensation weigh down the reed and will result in false readings, usually displaying a flat reed. A quick burst of the compressed air will eliminate this issue. 4

5 Place the.002 shim underneath the free end of the reed and pass your file once (increase number of passes with practice) across the tip-top of the reed. 5

6 Repeat above until the Tuner displays 0 (zero) If the Tuner displays a number above 0 (zero); for example +10, the reed is sharp and requires lowering (flatting) the pitch by 10 cents. In the beginning stages of your training, it is common to teeter- totter from flat to sharp and back again. Even Zen Masters have difficulty remaining calm during this process. To flatten the pitch of a reed, carefully push the.002 shim back towards the rivet end of the reed. The purpose of the shim is to isolate the target reed, while protecting the surrounding 6

7 reeds and reed plate. Depending on your preference, use a chisel, file, or rod scraper to gently remove material from the fixed end of the reed. Repeat the procedures for all Blow reeds until the Tuner displays 0 (zero). Draw Reeds Unlike the blow reed plate, the reeds are exposed on the draw side, allowing you to save time by reattaching both reed plates onto the comb with the reed plate screws. 7

8 Repeat the procedures shown from the Blow Reed section, except rather than blowing, use normal volume to inhale on hole #1. If the Tuner display falls below 0 (zero), for example -3, the reed is flat and requires raising (sharping) the pitch by 3 cents. Continue to repeat procedures demonstrated from the Blow Reed section. Once you are satisfied with the tunings, attach the reed and cover plate screws. Play the harmonica and determine if the instrument is responding to your every command. If not I will have to add another installment to the Harmonica Bail Out series and demonstrate reed Gapping (offsets) techniques ;o) Play the notes people want to hear Kinya Pollard The Harpsmith Celebrity Hands Try to guess the owner of this hand (hint: there is probably no one in the blues harmonica universe that does not know this player) 8