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 Rod
Piazza "Mighty Flyer" Harp amp- Sticky
notes on the harmonica...
- Harmonica
has become hard to play...
- Harmonicas
with slide lever...
- Cleaning
a harmonica..
- Getting
the "Little Walter" sound..
- How
to make harmonica heard above band..
- Best
key to get when beginning?
- Is
the harmonica an easy instrument to
learn?
- How
do I bend notes?
-
Q.
My husband is REALLY into the blues and has played for over
20 years. I've tried to find out some information on the Rod
Piazza "Mighty Flyer" Harp amp with NO luck! Have you ever
hear of one? Does it really exist? I have spent hours
looking on the net and can't find a single reference for
this amp.
A.
Rod Piazza's amp is a custom-made tube amplifier with six
10" speakers. It is big, loud, and very expensive, i.e. in
the neighborhood of $1,500.00. I would only recommend such
an amp to someone who:
- a) has lots of
money
- b) wants to
sound just like Rod
- c) is playing
large rooms (300 people or more) frequently.
Excellent amps for
people who do not match all of those criteria can be
purchased new for $700 or less (sometimes much
less).
Whatever amp you
choose, a microphone will be necessary, and the Green
Bullet, which runs around $90-$100 new, is the first choice,
along with the Astatic JT-30, which is the mic Piazza uses,
and costs about the same.
More information
about the Piazza amp can be found in the Harp-L archives;
there is a link to the archives at my site at
http://www.hunterharp.com.
I note again that many, many fine amps for harp can be
bought new for less than $700. Look for an amp with all-tube
preamp and amplifier stages. A VERY popular choice for harp
players who want a big amp is the Fender '61 Bassman
Reissue; other solid Fender amps for harp include the Blues
DeVille, Deluxe Reverb, Blues Junior, and Champ, in order of
decreasing power. An amp that will be used on stage should
put out at least 15 watts, more if the player will be
playing loud rooms or with a very large band. (Of course, a
smaller amp can be miked through a PA system, and smaller
amps are a LOT easier to carry. Piazza's monster weighs a
ton.) The Pro Pages at my site will tell you what choices
many of the top professionals have made, and I recommend a
look at those pages before you decide to spend a lot of
money on a boutique amplifier.
This answer
was provided by harmonica virtuoso Richard
Hunter.
Richard Hunter's
website: http://www.hunterharp.com/
Play It Again
Sam's interview with Richard Hunter: http://www.guitarsam.com/interviews/richard_hunter.htm
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-
Q.
I have several Hohner 270s. I am doing something wrong
because after about two weeks or so they begin to have
sticky notes in some of the holes. Then when I draw or blow
the note is very week and then sort of pops out. This is
very distracting to me. I play about three hours per day as
I am trying to learn.
Now the question is
how do I clean them after this happens. I have used cold
water, warm water, and even water with soap in it to try to
get the reads to stop sticking. But soon after I begin to
play with the harp the notes begin to stick again. It does
not happen until I have played a new harp for about a week
or two.
A.
You're not
doing anything wrong. The problem you describe here results
from sticky valves or "windsavers;" those are the little
white plastic strips you see when you take the cover plates
off, and windsaver problems are very, very common with
chromatic harps. Windsavers are found covering both draw and
blow reeds in the chromatic harp, but the only one that
stick are the ones covering blow reeds (which, fortunately,
are the visible ones, so you don't have to take the reed
plates off to fix problems).
Essentially,
sticking (and lots of other problems with valves) occur when
your hot breath collides with (colder) outside air, which
results in condensation forming on the valves. (That's why
only the blow reed valves have problems; when you breathe
in, there's no collision between warm and cold air, hence no
condensation.)
The first thing you
might try is warming your chromatic harps with a heating pad
before you play them, which is something the classical
virtuoso Robert Bonfiglio does before every
performance.
The "popping" sound
you refer to results from the two halves of the valve
sticking to each other (again, because of condensation);
they separate with an audible "pop" when you blow on the
reed. A preventive maintenance procedure is to put a small
kink in the valve, just above the point where the valve is
glued to the plate. Take off the cover plates, slide an arm
of a paper clip or similarly thin piece of metal under the
valve (taking care not to lift it right off the plate) at a
right angle to the valve. Press down to put a bend or kink
in the valve. This kink will help prevent the two halves of
the valve from sticking to each other. Again, you only need
to do this to the valves that are showing when you remove
the cover plates; DON'T remove the reed plates to work on
the inside valves.
If all else fails,
replace the valve (and do the procedure described above
before using the instrument again). Hohner sells sets of
valves fairly cheaply. Pliobond glue works well.
Valve maintenance is
an ongoing issue with chromatics. On the plus side, it's
easier than making reeds for an oboe or tuning a piano. Good
luck.
This answer
was provided by harmonica virtuoso Richard
Hunter.
Richard Hunter's
website: http://www.hunterharp.com/
Play It Again
Sam's interview with Richard Hunter: http://www.guitarsam.com/interviews/richard_hunter.htm
-
Q.
I have a
Hohner harmonica I purchased about 6 years ago that is still
extremely difficult to play cleanly. I must use a lot of
pressure to draw notes and there is a lot of air leakage
with the blow notes. It feels very rigid and unresponsive to
play. I don't have this problem with any of my other harps,
new or old. What do you recommend? Is this just a "bad" harp
or is there any way to improve it's
responsiveness?
A.
Your message
doesn't include any information on what the model is, so
it's hard to be certain of the reply. However, it's very
likely that the problem is a poor fit between the reed
plates and the comb of the harmonica, which is most likely
when the instrument has a wooden comb (such as the Marine
Band) or is assembled with rivets instead of screws (e.g.,
older Golden Melodies and Special 20s).
Any gap, even a
small one, between the reed plate and the comb will result
in a very leaky instrument. In the worst case, the leakiness
results from a bent reed plate (which may be so subtle as to
be invisible to the naked eye), and is absolutely
unrepairable short of replacing the reed plates. It is also
possible that the problem is poor "gapping" of the reeds,
but this usually does not involve the entire
instrument.
The easiest thing to
do is to return the instrument to Hohner for replacement. In
the future, I recommend buying only harmonicas that are
assembled using screws to hold the reedplates to the comb;
these include Lee Oskars (my favorite), Hohner Special 20s,
and recently manufactured Golden Melodies. With all of these
instruments, you may also consider adding Micropore tape
gaskets to make the instrument absolutely airtight.
Instructions on fitting these gaskets to a harmonica can be
found at my website at the URL below.
This answer
was provided by harmonica virtuoso Richard
Hunter.
Richard Hunter's
website: http://www.hunterharp.com/
Play It Again
Sam's interview with Richard Hunter: http://www.guitarsam.com/interviews/richard_hunter.htm
Q.
Regarding harmonicas; I would like to know if there is a
harmonica made with a mechanical device built in with a
lever control to bend notes or some similiar design
?
A.
Chromatic
harmonicas use a slide lever to access the sharps and flats
that do not appear on a standard diatonic
harmonica.
Q.
What microphone/amplifier set-up would you recommend for
playing rock and blues harmonica?
A.
Most harp players would probably agree that a Shure Green
Bullet and a small Fender tube amp, like a Champ, or the
newer Blues Jr. or Pro Jr. would be a good start for that
classic sound. The Shure sells new these days for about
$99.00, while the range of the amps (new) would be $275.00
or so and up, or a lot more if you were searching for an old
Fender. Your amp wants to be small enough so you can turn it
up to get that slightly (if not greatly) overdriven sound,
but if the amp is high wattage you'll have a rough time
getting the volume without lots of feedback. In a band
situation, you'll most likely need to mike the amp through
the PA to get your desired stage volume.
Q.
I have just
recently received a harmonica from my grandfather, and since
it is fairly old, is there any way that I can clean or
sterilize the blowing holes?
A.
Cleaning a harmonica is possible, but pretty tricky, since
it's all sealed, and not really made to easily come apart.
(or go back together!) If it's a Hohner harmonica, you could
send it to their factory, where they can clean/recondition
it for you at a reasonable cost.
A quicker, but less
effective method is to run warm water through it for a few
seconds, and be sure to tap it out thoroughly, and leave
out, holes down, on a dry cloth to drain the rest out. I
have heard of people rinsing them in alcohol (the isopropyl
kind) for a few seconds, and then doing the water rinse as
described above.
Most importantly, get as
much moisture out of it as possible when done.
Q.
How do I get that "Little Walter" sound without spending a
fortune?
A.
The answer may be to spend less, not more. Experiment with
some small guitar amps, preferably tube amps. Old Fender
Champs, etc. are a good example. When the amp is loud enough
to start getting some natural overdrive (not too much) work
on the tone from there. Old crystal mikes would round out
this ensemble, but they may be hard to find, and the good
ones are usually pricey. Try any mike at first, again, maybe
an inexpensive one over a better quality piece. Different
combinations of mike and amp will also produce varied
results. Also, Shure makes a reissue of the old "Green
Bullet" mike, and you may want to try this one for obtaining
a vintage sound.
Q.
I saw an ad for an amplifier DESIGNED for harmonica... it
was a bit pricey... but I would like to check it out again.
My biggest problem is that it's so hard to compete in volume
with guitar players... I'm usually fighting feedback. What
would you recommend?
A.
The usual way is
to first search for the tone you desire, whether the amp be
large or small, and regardless of output, although you will
find it much easier to control your sound, and to control
feedback with a smaller amplifier. Then, mike your harp amp
through the PA, and you'll have plenty of ammunition against
those guitar players. Just use any good vocal mike in front
of your amp, and it'll broadcast your harmonica the same as
the lead vocals. Let the guitars try to compete with
that.
Also, some amps have a
"line out" jack that allows you to run a standard instrument
cable from your amp to the PA board. Same or similar result,
you'll just need a $10.00 cable instead of another $100.00
mike.
As far as the harmonica
amplifier you saw advertised, you should check it out.
Equipment that is designed for a specific use is very likely
to give you superior tone and control over your sound.
Q.
What is the best key to get when buying your first
harmonica?
A.
The best key to start with is "C", and the reason is that
99% of the harmonica instruction book/tapes, CD's, and video
tapes available are recorded in "C", and they all specify
that you must use that key to be able to play along with the
lessons. Some of the other most popular keys once you get
out of the learning stage are "A", "D", "G", and "F".
Q.
Is the harmonica an easy instrument to learn?
A.
Yes. And no! The harmonica is one the easiest instruments to
get some level of instant results from, and to be able to
play a few songs quickly. It's also one of the most
difficult instruments to master, as there are many "hidden
notes" in that little thing that only a professional can
squeeze out. Harmonicas are great fun to play, have been
proven to provide a number of health benefits including
relaxation, breathing, and can be used with just about every
style of music, including classical! Check out
David
Harp's series of
harmonica books listed in our "Music Instruction" catalog.
Q.
I've been trying for months to bend notes on a harmonica.
What am I missing?
A.
I also had trouble getting a bend years ago, and the only it
finally made sense to me was by listening to the John
Sebastian six-volume cassette instruction book from
Homespun.
Here's the description as
best as I can relay it. Bending for beginners should be
"draw" bending, in other words, sucking in, not out. Holes
4, 5, and 6 are the easiest to start with. Place your lips
over hole 4 and draw the note. Now push your tongue to the
roof of your mouth, leaving a narrow open channel of air
from front to back, about the same as if you put a drinking
straw way back in your mouth as then pushed your tongue up.
Visualize your breath pointing down across the harp. This
change of air-flow is what directs your breath differently
through the harp and drops the note down in pitch. There's
no need to change anything else, not the amount of breath,
not the force of breath. Gentler is better. Just practice
moving your tongue in and out of that position, and I'm
pretty sure that you'll see it coming quite quickly. Then
practice the other notes/holes, and you'll find that each
bending note need to be treated a little differently in
terms of the amount of air, which you've probably found to
be true just playing straight harmonica.
The lower half of the
harmonica is easier to bend than the top half, as a matter
of fact, you really won't get much bending at all from the
upper notes, which you need to "blow-bend". This is much
like the same technique, except blowing rather than drawing.
(Don't even try this at first, get the draw-bend down for
now)
Things to try: Start your
note with a bend, and open up to the straight-draw
note.
Try draw-bend-draw-bend
over and over in the same breath.
When you bend and get that
sweet note, close your air-opening just a little bit more to
(this may be gross, sorry) get just a bit of spit in the
sound. With some practice, this'll be your "bending growl",
and you can also start a note off with this sound, and then
open up to your straight and clean note.
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Play It
Again Sam....66 Main St....Montpelier VT
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