I can bend 1 2 3 fairly confidently but 4 draw isn’t the same. Anyone else struggle to get this bend? Haven’t tried 6 very much but it’s also a lot different than the lower octaves.
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That was actually my hardest bend as a beginner many eons ago. It takes a lot of practice to get it down, but you can get 6 draw once you’ve learned how to bend 4 draw as they require the same air pressure.
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Hi @Madmartigan26, for me it depends on the key. For my C & D harmonicas, -1 is easiest and -2 is most difficult. With my F harmonica, -1 is most difficult and the other draw bends are all pretty much equal. I’m still struggling with the blow bends. I guess we’re all different. Of course, if we follow JPs instructions for using ‘bend it better’ we should practice with just one harmonica, not three as I do. But I don’t listen to my mother either. I did listen to Luke once.
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Hey @Madmartigan26 - Welcome to the forum. So happy to have you here!
Yeah -4 and -6 require smaller mouth movements than the lower holes.
Also, the where the back of the tongue is pushing up toward the roof of the mouth is going to be farther forward than on the lower holes.
Sometimes it’s helpful to think about just pushing the tip of the tongue down to the bottom of the back of the bottom teeth rather than thinking about back of tongue.
Another idea to try. Check out the Bend It Better tool and work on getting the SMALLEST -3’ bend you can get. Like not quite making it down to Bb or just barely dipping into it. That’s gonna be pretty close to the -4’ bent position. If you move REALLY SLOWLY from an unbent position to that -3’ position you should hit the -4’ position on your way there.
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Thanks for all the advice. I’m making good progress now on all my draw bends. So much so that I sometimes find it difficult to not bend a note while playing a tune. I bend when it’s not required. Blow bends are next on the agenda, to practice and conquer.
When I’m practicing draw bends with my Special 20s and my Golden Melody, I sometimes get another sound, a bit like the tinkling of a bicycle bell. It seems that maybe the reeds are hitting the cover plates, would that be the case? Am I doing something wrong or is it a common occurrence when bending?
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Hello @PapaCurly,
I have this problem sometimes too. Then I test the same tone with a different harp using the same playing technique.
Before I screw on the harp, I try to change my technique a bit. If it persists, I open the harp and carefully adjust the reed and it usually works. As you write, the reed was bumped or was in an unfavorable position due to its position, which resulted in false vibrations and corrosive noises.
Best Regards Astrid
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Hello @PapaCurly
It’s impossible for me to say for sure without being with you and observing your playing, etc. – however, I can tell you that there are four basic causes of such “unwanted” sounds:
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The reeds are hitting the cover plates (as you proposed). This is most common when playing low-keyed harps that do not have specially built cover plates that have more space between the reed plates (at least on the end where the lowest notes are located: holes 1-4) and the cover plates. Those very low-tuned reeds are actually quite long and the extra space is an effective way to avoid the problem. Seydel makes special 1847 low-tuned harps with their “Low Tone, Big Body” cover plates that have about a 7 mm space between the cover plate and the comb surface (compared to their standard 1847 harps that have about a 5 mm space). This makes playing them a rather “different” feel for your embouchure, and some people don’t like that or never get accustomed to it.
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You are using too much air flow (drawing or blowing too hard). This also causes the reeds to hit the cover plates and is easily solved by adjusting your technique (or by using an amplifier when needing to play with more volume). Remember: all bends should be able to be played even at lower volumes when your technique is correct (and the harp’s reeds are gapped correctly).
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The reeds are twisting along their long axis. This “torsional” problem is not so easy to correct and requires adding some very short, slender weight (e.g. tape or glue or solder) at the middle of the reed, then checking if the tuning of the reed has been changed by this weight and re-tuning the reed (if necessary). The repair is actually not so difficult, but it is time consuming and requires good finger control.
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The reed is hitting one of the edges of the reed slot. Here you need to re-align the reed in its slot. Again, not so easy without a reed wrench, but it can sometimes be done using a razor blade. This is probably impossible to correct for reeds that are spot-welded onto the reed plate unless you remove the reed, and convert it and the reed plate slot (by drilling holes and threading them) to use the tiny reed attachment screws that can be purchased. Obviously here you also need special tools (and skills) for the work.
Regards,
– Slim 
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Thank You @AstridHandbikebee63 and @Slim. The sound is very quiet so if I were playing to an audience, I doubt they would hear it. I’m looking at it more as a curiosity than a problem. Nevertheless, it seems like something that shouldn’t be happening. Slim, I’m going with your point 2, using too much air flow. I’ll take your advice and try to play at lower volumes. Thank You again.
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Hello @Slim,
I find your description under point 3 very interesting because I didn’t know that.
Thank you very much for your detailed answer! As always, very understandable and interesting.
Best Regards Astrid
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You both (@PapaCurly & @AstridHandbikebee63) are very welcome.
The problem described in point 3 seems to be most frequently found in harps that have narrow reeds, such as the stock, unmodified Suzuki Manji and Pro Master models. It occurs most often when playing overblows, but can occur with any bend. But I also have some of these harps that do not show this, so I am guessing that it is an unpredictable manufacturing result that is difficult to catch during quality control.
Regards,
– Slim
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