Playing amplified
Hey David,
When playing through my amp I notice that some notes jump out. To be clear i mean that they seem to stand out from the rest...louder. I looked through your amp videos and did'nt catch any discussion on this. Why would/could this be? and how to correct this? is this normal when playing amplified and the player adjust for this? I do not hear this when playing acoustic. Amp? Element? Technique?
Thanks in advance,
Mark
David,
Ok, I did this over the past two days and here are the consistant results:
Bb Harp:
Loud= 5 Eb, 6 G, 7 A, 7+ Bb, 4+ Bb
LF Harp:
Loud= 1 G, 5 Bb, 8+ A
Low= 3+ c, 3 E (3 hole is an issue for me on every Harp. I always have to adjust them. I believe this one is still off)
A Harp:
Loud= 5 D, 7+A
D Harp:
Loud= 6+ A, 5+ G
I realized that some notes are sounding low to me because thay are adjacent to the "loud" note.
For number 2 in your response its the same when compared to other notes.
For number 3 in your response I can not distinguish between all the notes if one is standing out or not.
All 3 draw 4 draw combos seemed fine.
I did this comparison on two different days to see if it would change and I dropped two notes the rest were the same each day.
Maybe you need to know that I have adjusted all of these harps except the D and one of the Bb (I tested on two of them cause 1 Bb was perfect OOTB, same result on both).
Also, I had my son take a listen (16yrs. old) and he did not hear as big a difference as I do.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks Mark. I don't know what it is.
Sometimes an amp can have "hot spots"... commonly one, or sometimes two, frequencies where the cabinet really resonates and becomes louder. This is common for acoustic instruments as well, where one note is more "boomy" than others. It doesn't seem like this is the case for you.
Also, some amps can overreact when chords are played, and that doesn't seem to be an issue.
So, I'm stumped, sorry.
And you're quite sure it doesn't happen when you're playing acoustically?
I just ask because I noticed that when I record myself, there are occasionally some notes that are quite obviously louder when I look at the waveform that I didn't realise were coming across louder even when listening back. It could be happening for you. It might even be in your acoustic play too, but because amps tend to distort louder notes, it becomes more obvious when you play amplified.
So you could try looking at the waveform. Then perhaps post some recording of acoustic and amplified play of thee same licks for the experts to check out? (Sorry, I don't mean me - I'm no expert)
Jeremy, your on to something here or should I say hear ;0
I will put some time into this as I did a quick check acoustically and it does show some differences. On play back I don't hear it as much as when im playing the notes. The 5 draw is the real stand out. Don't know how to post the sound file or the waveform. You are correct though, I played acoustically this time so it's not the amp or the mic and that's a relief.
Thanks!
Mark
Hi David. I have 4 differrnt Hamonicas consisting of crossover C key, Special 20 C key, Blues harp A key & Pro harp A key. The 2nd hole on draw on all these models have a very muted sound. Purchased all these within the past 2 weeks. Question is, are the harps defective or is it something I'm doing wrong? All others holes produce nice clear sound on draw or blow.
Hello leonardram. This is very common for new players (the most common issue), so you're not alone in having difficulty with playing the 2 draw. Go to FAQ (http://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq) and watch "My 2 draw and/or high-end notes sounds flat, airy or not at all!"
Thanks David. That video in FAQ was a big help.
Evening Mark. Please do a test for me...
1) Play the notes you played before where you felt some were softer and some were louder, but specifically do not use any chordal techniques (no slaps, pulls, flutters, etc,), just clean single notes. Make note of what you hear.
2) Do the same with slaps
3) Do the same with other techniques such as pulls, chords (no tongue on the harmonica at all) and ESPECIALLY your 3 draw and 4 draw combination (play the two at the same time).
Report back with your findings.