Impact Of Reed Gap On Airtightness of a Chromatic Harmonica David Kettlewell

The setting of the REED GAP on your chromatic harmonica has a decided effect on the airtightness of the harp. A harp with reed gaps set correctly is easy to play, responsive to breath, and has saturated rich tone. (REED GAP is defined as the distance the free end of the reed sits away from the reedplate. Many harps have reed gaps set too high from factory.) If the REED GAP is too big, the harp leaks air like a sieve on the low notes- because air leaks through the GAP as you play it, resulting in a harp requiring lots of breath to play, slow response, and poorer quality and less saturated tone. If the REED GAP on a lower note from E5 down to C3 (the notes on the lower half of your harp: holes 1-9 on a 16 holer) is set too small (the reed being is too close to the reedplate) the reed will choke out and stop playing when given moderate breath. This video explains the setting of reed gaps in some detail. (As a general rule, reed cap should be about the thickness of the reed at its free moving end. As an example, if the reed is half a millimeter thick at its end as a low note reed may be, the reed gap should also be about half a millimeter. This is true for reeds from C3 to E5 (lower notes.) For higher notes, E5 and higher, the gap is much less, and as you get to the higher notes on a harp, the reeds actually sit right on top of the reedplate, with NO noticeable gap. David's website with many videos and articles is MASTERSOFHARMONICA.COM His book LOVE OF CHROMATIC HARMONICA...TECHNIQUES AND ADVICE FROM THE WORLD'S BEST! is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon. David's Facebook Groups you'll enjoy are...LOVE OF CHROMATIC HARMONICA...CHROMATIC HARMONICAS...CHROMATIC HARMONICA REPAIR...CHROMATIC HARMONICA CUSTOMIZATIONS...CHROMATIC HARMONICA REVIEWS...JAZZCATS...BEAUTIFUL MUSIC ON CHROMATIC HARMONICA...and MASTERS OF HARMONICA.