Did I just ruin my harmonica? In this series I want to cover the most common mistakes and turn them into learning opportunities.

Today I talk about bending a reed too far.

Would you like me to make a video about your "best" mistake? Contact me and let me know your ideas!

https://harp.andrewzajac.ca/

I use checklists. They help me do my work better and faster.

"A checklist is a type of informational job aid used to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task." (Wikipedia)

I don't have a checklist for every task I do, I tend to make them up when I realize I keep repeating the same mistake. I also tend to revise some checklists quite often, incorporating new and better ways of doing things - just because I use a checklist doesn't mean I stop thinking. In fact, a checklist helps me come up with new ideas and incorporate them in my practice very easily.

There are two general types of checklists. The first is just a list. For example, you make a list of things you need to pack before going on a trip. Before you leave, you go through the list to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. This is generally called "Do - Confirm"

The second type is generally called "Read - Do" and it breaks down the steps of a task. It's meant to be read in sequence and each step of the task is performed before you move on to the next step.

I will be publishing some checklists in the coming weeks right here on my website. I hope you find them useful!

I won't publish every checklist I use. But I may make up some new ones to help those who prefer having a written guide when they try out a new task for the first time.

Alcohol will wear down the tips of the tines of my combs but there are a few other reasons not to use it as part of harmonica maintenance.

I spent a big part of my career working in an operating room or ICU as a Respiratory Therapist and Clinical Perfusionist. I'm familiar with asepsis and sterile techniques. Here's my take on cleaning versus trying to kill microorganisms in the harmonica.

While 70 per cent alcohol is effective at cleaning off thermometers and stethoscopes, it is not idea for disinfecting a harmonica. Alcohol is very volatile and evaporates quickly - anything less than 70 per cent concentration will not be effective. And if sprayed as a mist (for example, Mi-T-Mist), you cannot assure that a high enough concentration of alcohol will actually reach the target since most of it will evaporate in transit.

There are too many nooks and crannies in a harmonica for alcohol to work. Not to mention a porous comb will shelter microorganisms from some products.

Alcohol will not kill organisms caught under debris so to reach all the bugs, each piece of the harp must be cleaned first. But if you clean the harp well, there is no real need to sterilize.

I only think about sterilizing a harp if I am worried about a specific pathogen, example someone with active cold sores played my harp.

Instead, I recommend soap and water. My combs do not swell. You can dunk the whole harp with my comb under soapy water and slosh it around. Rinse it out, tap out the excess water and let it dry. You can use a hair dryer to warm up the inside of the harp to dry it out faster.

If you need to disinfect in addition to cleaning, I recommend hydrogen peroxide. It is inexpensive, non-toxic and earth-friendly: it breaks down into oxygen and water.

The process of installing a new comb is straightforward.

Here are written instructions on how to install my Dark Combs. (click here for the PDF file)

My combs maximize surface contact and do not incorporate room for the tips of the rivets that stick out on the under side of the reed plate. You need to flat sand the draw plate to install my combs. Flat sanding the draw plate is easy and it provides an additional boost to the performance of any diatonic harmonica. Try it on a harp with its stock comb and see.

Here is the process of flat sanding:

Here's a video of the whole procedure:

After years of hard work, I am humbled to have gotten the news from Joe Filisko this morning:

"I'm happy to say that Andrew Zajac has PASSED the rigorous tests and is now officially part of the Hohner Affiliated Customizer Program."

Thank you so much, Joe!

This is only the beginning - I intend to work just as hard and continuously strive to produce a better harp.

Plinking is an essential part of gapping and reed work. Here are a few things you were never told about plinking.

How hard should you plink? How fast? How often? How do you hold the plate as you plink? What should you listen for?

Here's local harmonica player Wayne Riley (http://www.rileyandrileyblues.com/bio...) flattening the draw reed plate on a stock Manji harmonica.

Flattening the draw reed plate is the easiest thing you can do to get a dramatic increase in performance.

This kit is for those who like to spend ten minutes or less per harmonica on gapping, tuning and other adjustments.

You don't need to be a customizing whiz! These are the tools you need to get the essential things done and keep you playing.

Get the kit here

This kit provides what you need to work on harps anywhere.
Use this kit to:
-Adjust reed shape and gap
-Fix tuning troubles without having to take apart your harp!
-Fix Reed Centering
-Replace lost screws

Includes:
-Solid brass reed shaping tool
-Five Cent Tuning Tool™
-Multi-purpose Reed Wrench/Tuner/Support Tool and Plinker
-Small assortment of harmonica screws

Here are a few thoughts on overblows and harmonicas. These ideas are relevant to both setting up and playing overblows on the diatonic harmonica.

- Overblows, overdraws, overbends are just like regular bends. The same thing that causes a regular note to bend causes the note to overbend.

- Air flow makes the reeds move and resonance affects the frequency (pitch). This is basic to how the harmonica works.

- Resonance can make a reed stand still. Resonance is kinetic energy and it can greatly affect the frequency of a reed.

- Resonance has a strong effect on both reeds when regular bends are played. Regular bends are double reed bends and overblows are single reed bends - they have a different behavior and sound.

- Resonance has a weaker effect on the closing reed than the opening reed during an overblow. If you can't hold and overblow note, it's likely because the reed that's supposed to stand still is not standing still.

- There are several kinds of overblow. Which is your favorite?

- It’s technique, but it’s also the harp. You need technique to play overbends but you also need a harp that will respond to your playing.

A harp player bought one of my combs from Rockin Ron's and had a little trouble getting the harp to play well. Here's why!

Just like maybe one-in-ten harps plays really well from the factory, this one suffered from defect and was the worst of the bunch.

It's fixed, now.

This particular harmonica is a Delta Frost but these defects happen with EVERY brand of harp. There are no exceptions. The only harmonica free of defects is a proper custom harmonica.

My combs are here:
https://harp.andrewzajac.ca/Combs

My tools are here:
https://harp.andrewzajac.ca/Tools

USA harpists, find my products at Rockin Ron's:
http://rockinronsmusicsd.com