[Harp-L] It Wasn't Bashing, Bob! - 4 Blow Reed Failures

[Glenn and Debbie Woodhouse <gwoodhouse40@xxxxxxx>]

Bob, 
 
I appreciated you input and certainly did not feel you were bashing.  Please continue your participation in Harp-L.  Based on all of the responses I got it is clear that playing softer with more precise bends is an important area of focus for me going forward.  My two top harp heros are more contemporary, Magic Dick of J. Geils and Paul Butterfield.  They really "wail" on their recordings with a lot of power and dynamics.  Recently I have heard interviews/commentary from each of them and they both emphasized the importance of not playing too hard, and that this is a common pitfall of many players.  I have an older Paul Butterfield instructional recording, and this is where he talks about not playing too hard.  He plays mostly acoustic on this recording.  His playing is quite soft but still very dynamic with deep vibrato.  I think the wailing and power we hear on their recordings is the result of pushing their electric setup through a broad range of intensity by the use of vibrato, cupping variation, and variation in volume/pressure.  To the untrained ear (historically mine, but I'm learning...) this sounds like they are playing hard, but they are not.
 
Your summary of my post, although appreciated, was not quite accurate:
 
"Now if everyone read the original question being posted CAREFULLY before coming to this "bashing" conclusion was that 4 blow on this person's harps in D & F were constantly blowing out, and upon further careful reading, it would happen REGARDLESS of what brand/models/manufacturer it was."
 
Actually it was three Bushman Delta Frost 4 Blow reeds that failed on me within 3 weeks to 3 months of play, two were on C harps, one F.  I also recently had a Lee Oskar 4 blow fail on a Am harp (which is effectively an alternate tuning of a D harp, with the 4 blow being the same as on a D diatonic) but after at least 3 years of moderate play.  I have many Lee Oskars last me several years (as many as 10+ years).  
 
Although I am certainly not blaming my gear on my shortcomings as a player (my gear is way better than me!), it does feel like I might be dealing with a bad batch of Bushman reeds, or that they are more susceptible to my bad habits, or both.  I'll work on my bad habits but they won't dissappear overnight, so I'll likely rely on the Seydel SS reeds to help make the journey. 
 
Thanks, Glenn.> > Message: 3> Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:59:48 GMT> From: "bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx>> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] 4 Blow Reed Failures - Is it just me?> > Hi,> Let me make this straight here. First of all, I am NOT bashing ANYBODY here!!!!!! Now if everyone read the original question being posted CAREFULLY before coming to this "bashing" conclusion was that 4 blow on this person's harps in D & F were constantly blowing out, and upon further careful reading, it would happen REGARDLESS of what brand/models/manufacturer it was. For too many harp players, especially diatonic players, the first thing for them to naturally do is blame the instrument (not that there are no such thing as defects, which there are, in no doubt), and then after that, go blame the gear, or the sound guy or whatever, and too often the one person they don't want to blame is themselves for their own playing technique.>