Hello all.
I purchased a Rocket a few weeks ago, but I only noticed yesterday that the 2 hole didn’t get cut fully into a square, so there is extra plastic in the lower corner of the comb. Will this affect bending, as that is the only hole that I can’t at least get a partial bend. Or… does this not really matter, and I just suck at bending on the 2 draw as I’m still new in the harp journey? Lol
Thanks, Joel.
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Hi Joel @JMac69
While it is possible that the unfinished cut in hole 2 could make a difference in how well you can play bends there, it is doubtful that this is the case. Since you only now have noticed the irregular shape, it sounds like the defect is quite small. Is that the case?
If it is any consolation, you can read in this forum that many beginners find one hole or another to be difficult to bend well – and for hole 2 this problem seems to be quite common.
Another possible cause of this difficulty has to do with the shape and gap of the reeds in hole 2. But since you are still in the “beginner” stage, I do not think it would be a good idea to start learning how to do reed work.
So you can perhaps now understand that without us being able to see and examine the harp in detail, it is nearly impossible to really provide a solution.
Regards,
– Slim 
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Sorry. Didn’t have my harmonica on me when I posted. Here’s a few. Hard to get a focused pic that close. Lol
Thanks.
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Hi Joel @JMac69
From what I can see in the photos tells me that this defect is much too small to be a significant factor in your difficulty playing draw bends in hole 2.
This pretty much leaves us with either a reed adjustment problem or beginner’s lack of skill. Without hearing your attempts at bending, I would put my money on the latter of these two possibilities.
In other words: back to work on adjusting the shape of your oral cavity (tongue position, throat muscle relaxation, larynx position, etc) and also the strength of the air flow that you are using when trying to make the bend (you might be trying with too little strength or with too much: either can cause problems, especially for a beginner).
Learning to make precise, accurate bends is something that harpists practice for the rest of their harp playing life. And that is especially true for those holes where more than one bend is possible, viz. the draw bends on holes 2 and 3 and the blow bends on hole 10. If you don’t believe me, then perhaps you will believe a famous blues professional who says the same thing: Jason Ricci.
Regards,
– Slim
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Ok. I figured it was me, but figured I’d check. I’ll check out the video, and thanks ask always for responding.
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