sticky notes
Hello, I'm looking for the best way to fix notes that are sticking on a 270 super chromonica deluxe. I've taken the cover plates off and used a small section of a grocery bag to slide under the reeds and windsavers, but it seems to be a short term fix. Any help would be much welcome. Thx
Chromatics, that is. I second Winslow on using a heating pad. I have one set up on a little table in my practice area. Beats paying for one of Seydel's heated cases, tho' warming the chromatic when out performing can be a challenge. ("Is that a chromatic harmonica you're warming up in your pocket ... or are you just glad to see me?") And a side benefit: When your back starts to hurt after hours of practice, you can move the heating pad to a couch or bed, and lie down on it!
Did you moisten the paper and apply some finger pressure? That's the optimal way to do that cleaning.
Your first line of defense is oral hygiene. Brush, rinse, gargle out anything sticky. That includes not only food and drink, but anything mucus-y that can travel in on your breath. I also wait about 15 minutes after oral cleansing to let the saliva glands settle down. Sometimes just moisture, sticky or not, can cause valves to stick and reeds to stall if too much nof it travels into the harmonica.
Another thing you can do is to warm up the chromatic before playing. You can use a heating pad on a low setting, or just stick it upder your arm to get it warmed up. This helps prevent condensation of the warm moisture from your breath on cold harmonica parts. Also, many players report that their valves seem to warm up and settle down aftr playing ofr a little while.
The other thing to be mindful of is attacking notes with too much breath force. You can hit a diatonic much harder than a chromatic, which will blank out with too suudent a hit of strong breathpressure. Maybe you're not doing that, but it's worth mentioning.