Sticky Slide
Hello Kinya! Now that blues chromatic lessons are going on the site, do you have any suggestions for a chromatic that has some age on it where the slide is getting sticky? Should it just be disassembled and cleaned and put back together, or should one use a lubricant (Hohner for example has one in their kit, but I've also heard that some players don't use it due to the fact that it can get into the wind savers). P.S., one of my students, and you know who you are! used vegetable oil! ;-)
if you're in the middle of a rehearsal or performance, you may not have the time to fix a sticky slide by taking it apart and cleaning it, and you may not even have bottled water at hand. But there's a quick fix that I learned from Blackie Schackner, one of the old-time chromatic greats. You use your mouth to directly inject saliva at both ends of the mouthpiece, around the button end of the slide, and in the little slide slot at the far end of the harp, which is sometimes where the sticking occurs. This simple fix has gotten me out of more jams (literally) than I can count.
Hey David,
Even the most careful player -- including those who have never dropped their Chromatic, or not de-gum the sugar out of their mouth after drinking a tall Coke ;o) will experience sticking slides.
The tolerance between the surfaces of the slide and the track is extremely close. Even a small amount of Harmonicoccus (coagulated saliva, oils and other unidentifiable fluids) will gum up the works.
Winslow recommends lubricating the entry points of the slide with a few drops of purified (bottle) water. This method has gotten be out of some sticky situations.
If this does not work, carefully disassemble - WATCH FOR THE SPRING - and gently clean your slide/tracks with diluted dish washing solution. Rinse and dry all residue from the slide/tracks and re-assemble. For you players who have wooden comb chromatic harmonicas, such as the Hohner 270, be extremely careful not to over-tighten the mouthpiece screws -- it will easily damage the comb (enlarges the holes).
Kinya