Hi all! I think I now have a better understanding of why my harmonica becomes “clogged/wet/hard to play” after a while
Sure, some of it is due to moisture. BUT, something else is a contributing factor and something I don’t see mentioned: the diaphragm, that is:
- Inconsistently using your diaphragm depending on posture
- My diaphragm getting tired. This second one was not obvious at all, but I think this is key. It’s not so much that the harmonica would get “wet”, rather that my lungs would be tired and I wouldn’t notice, which would lead me to using it less and thus contributing to more moisture entering the harmonica from improper breathing. In fact, something I initially attributed to “bad room ventilation” - that is, me getting sweaty after sessions, I now think is more akin to “workout sweat” since you are actually having quite the workout.
I started playing using this posture, since it helps open up the diaphragm, and while I still need to practice more to confirm, this seems to be having a good effect. It may not look “cinematic/theatrical”, and makes me look like a 5 year old, I think after a while I hope to train myself so as not to need to be in this posture.