Harmonica Maintenance Guidelines

Check out the QuickGuide Maintenance Videos below for tips to disassemble and reassemble the Lee Oskar Harmonica.

Changing Cover Plates

Changing Reed Plates


Below is an excerpt from Lee Oskar's book, "THE ART OF HARMONICA MAINTENANCE"

HARMONICA MAINTENANCE OVERVIEW

Reed Action & Response

Poor action or no response

Probable Cause:

This is a common problem caused by improper offset of the reed.

Solution:

Adjust reed offset using the pick or flat end of the Offset Tool.

Reed responds only to soft playing (light air pressure)

Probable Cause:


Too little offset.

Solution:

Increase offset.

Correct offset. Will respond to both soft and hard playing.

Reed responds only to hard playing (heavy air pressure)

Probable Cause:


Too much offset.

Solution:

Decrease offset.

Correct offset. Will respond to both soft and hard playing.

No response

Probable Cause:


No offset.

Solution:

Increase offset.

Correct offset. Will respond to both soft and hard playing.

Other Reasons: For poor action or no response

Probable Cause:

  • Foreign material or saliva.
  • Broken reed (total metal fatigue).
  • Reed plates incorrectly mounted.
  • Reed off-center (misaligned).

Solution:

  • Clean or shake out.
  • Replace reed or reed plate.
  • Make lateral adjustment.

Buzzing Sound

Probable Cause:

  • Metal burrs interfering with reed clearance.
  • Foreign material (interfering with reed clearance).
  • Reed off-center (misaligned).

Solution:

  • Square truing needed.
  • Clean with pick or lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol.
  • Make lateral adjustment.

Pitch & Tuning

Natural tone is either too flat or too sharp

Probable Cause:

  • Fatigued reed.
  • Factory specs may not agree with personal taste.

Solution:

Fine tune reed using chisels and/or file to remove metal.

Pitch too flat

Probable Cause:

  • Structure of metal has changed due to fatigue.
  • Foreign substance or saliva.
  • Total fatigue (replace reed).

Solution:

  • Fine tune reed using chisels and / or file to remove metal.
  • To raise pitch (sharpen), scrape tip of reed.

Pitch too sharp

Probable Cause:

  • Aging of brass has caused change.
  • Factory Specs.

Solution:


  • Fine tune reed using chisels and / or file to remove metal.
  • To lower pitch (flatten), scrape fixed end of reed.

QuickGuide Harmonica Notation Layouts (PDF)

Troubleshooting Common Difficulties

There are several common difficulties that you may experience when learning to play the harmonica. For example, draw 1, 2 or 3 may sound muted, airy, distorted, or flat. Other notes may sound shrill, unclear or might not play at all. Many players assume that there is something wrong with the harmonica. However, it is usually improper playing technique that is causing the problem. You can overcome these problems with practice and by learning correct playing technique, correct positioning of the tongue/oral cavity and developing proper breath control.

Difficulty with 2 & 3 draw notes is the most common problem. Beginners and even some experienced players may have problems with the 2 & 3 draw. This is because the 2 & 3 draw reeds bend more than the other draw reeds. Bending is an advanced playing technique that occurs when we constrict the air flow. This results in varying tones and notes, delivering greater musical expression. Bending notes does not refer to bending the reeds physically.

Tech stuff: What makes a bend happen? And what governs whether or not a reed will bend and by how much? Each chamber shares two reeds, a blow and draw reed, which interact with each other. When the two reeds are more than a semitone apart, the higher pitched of the two reeds, as in draw hole #2 and draw hole #3 (with proper technique) will produce the bent note, or notes.

However, when a beginner constricts the air flow too much by using improper technique, the note will sound muted, airy, distorted or flat because they are bending the reed accidentally. Some brands of harmonicas are made with a less exacting design or inferior quality materials and will have air leakage and poor reed response. These leaky harmonicas require a player to use a lot of air to get the reeds to respond. Lee Oskar Harmonicas are designed and manufactured to be very airtight using a plastic comb and high quality materials that provide reeds with very responsive action. However, because our reeds are so sensitive, sometimes even an experienced player may encounter problems because they are constricting the air too much, out of habit. This is especially common if they have been playing other brands of harmonicas that are less airtight.

Refer to the chart below for further help if you are experiencing these problems.

Remember, take your time and practice each step and technique.

Embouchure is the actual method of applying your lips, tongue and mouth on the harmonica. Many beginners may have playing difficulties which can be attributed to incorrect embouchure.

Symptoms

Difficulties

Draw: 1 thru 3

Harmonica Sounds:

  • Weak
  • Flat
  • Muted
    (like a fog horn)
  • Airy
  • Distorted
  • Muffled
Probable Causes

Incorrect Embouchure

You are bending a note unintentionally by sucking the air through the harmonica in a constricted way.

Say the syllable sounds "EEE" or "UUhh" verbally, and notice the position your tongue and mouthcavity are in. The tongue and mouth in this position will cause too much suction and constrict your air flow.

Comment: Lee Oskar Harmonicas are very air tight. These reeds are very sensitive and if you are not focused on playing with a large warm embouchure, you can easily bend or distort these reeds.

Solutions

Correct Embouchure

Learn to unbend notes, by drawing the air through the harmonica in a more relaxed way.

Tips
With long and steady breath say the syllable sounds "Aahhh" or "Ohhh" verbally and notice the position your tongue and mouth cavity are in.

Your jaw should drop way down and your tongue should be on the bottom of your mouth (between your lower set of teeth). In this position you will have a nice, clear air passage.

To avoid sucking in too hard, also try to breath partly in through your nose, taking some of the pressure off the reed. Think of yawning; play with a yawn-like mouth cavity when drawing in air.

Pucker higher than wide; the inner part of your lips should cover a large area of the cover plates for a nice tight seal.

Tilt the back of the harmonica upward and draw gently, long and steady; open up and relax your embouchure.

Symptoms

Difficulties

Blow: 8 thru 10

Harmonica Sounds:

  • Unclear
  • Not Clean
  • Shrill
Probable Causes

Incorrect Embouchure

Blowing too hard without proper air flow and embouchure.

Solutions

Correct Embouchure

With long and steady breath say the syllable sound "EEE" or "SSS" verbally and notice the position your tongue and mouth cavity are in. Use this position while blowing in holes 8 through 10 as a reference to give you proper air flow.

Pucker higher than wide; the inner part of your lips should cover a large area of the cover plates for a tight seal.

Blow gently, long and steady; open up and relax your embouchure.

Symptoms

Difficulties

Draw: 7 thru 10

Harmonica Sounds:

  • Squeals
    (Dog whistle sound)
  • Reeds
    (No response)
Probable Causes

Constricting the Air Passage
by sucking air through the harmonica.

Comment: Draw 7 thru 10 cannot bend notes. Do not play with constricted air passage.

Solutions

Correct Embouchure

Same as Draw 1 thru 3 difficulties.

Note: Another reason a reed may have poor or no response is due to not enough reed offset (gap). Refer to the harmonica maintenance overview for more info on reed offset.

Harmonica With Effects

lee-oskar-harmonica-effects.jpg

Lee Oskar feels that a player's sound is such a personal thing, that he doesn't really recommend a specific brand or model of equipment for everyone.

Try anything and everything and find the sound you like. Lee does recommend that you go to your favorite retail store to try out your choice of microphone and try out every amp on the floor! That's the best way to find what works for you.

Some people like a clean sound, some like a dirty sound, some like a distorted sound, etc. While you're at it, try out effect pedals too! Many products are marketed for the guitar but works just as well for the harmonica. It is important to choose your own microphone, for health reasons as well as your sound.

Incorporating all kinds of accessory equipment can be a lot of fun and can really spice up your playing, too.

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Types of Effects that can be used with the Harmonica:

Reverb - Simulates the reverberation which naturally occurs within a given space. Settings vary from small room, concert hall, cave or even outer space. Some musical instrument amplifiers are available with the reverb feature built in. There are two main types of reverb available, spring and digital.

Delay - Delay is one of the simplest effects out there and one of the most valuable. A little delay can bring life to dull mixes, widen your instrument's sound, and even allow you to solo over yourself. Delay is also a cornerstone of other effects, such as reverb, chorus, and flanging.

Echo - An echo device, or delay device, is a signal processor used to simulate discrete reflections of sound. Echo devices have taken several forms, including tape delay, analog delay, and digital delay systems.

Chorus - Chorus effects can make a single instrument sound like a group of players. It adds a rich, lush, shimmering quality to your sound.

Leslie Effect - a vibrato effect similar to the Leslie rotating speaker used for electronic organs.

Harmoniser or Pitch-Shifter - Instrumental shifting allows one to change the pitch of a sound in real time.

Octave - Produces a tone one or more octaves below or above the pitch of the original tone. There are many types, Analog and Digital. Sometimes analog octave units will have difficulty in tracking the original signal and produce the desired octave.

Envelope Filter - An envelope filter is a bit like an automatic wah wah pedal. If you play a note with considerable attack you get a treble boost, and as the signal from the tone dies away the treble boost fades.

Flangers and Phase Shifters - Flangers and phase shifters (or phasers) get their sound by creating one or more alterations in the original sound signal's frequency.

Amplifiers - There are many differences between tube and solid-state amps. One of the main differences is that to some listeners, tube amplifiers tend to have a warmer, distorted sound. Solid-state amplifiers, which pass the signal in a more efficient manner, do not generate this distortion. Hence, solid state amplifiers can be said to produce a cleaner sound.

Microphones - Every type of microphone regardless of quality or internal components will have different sound and response characteristics. There is no one "correct" microphone to use for a particular type of music. It is important that you try different microphones until you find what works for your own individual sound and is the "correct microphone" for you. There are four common types of microphones which are grouped by their internal components. They are: Ribbon, Dynamic, Condenser and Crystal & Ceramic.

Equalizer - Equalizers boost or cut specific frequencies in a signal. The most common equalizers are tone controls. They tailor your sound to suit your music. They can also be effective in eliminating feedback for a particular amplifier and microphone combination.

DI Box - DI boxes perform three important roles: they provide a split audio path for an audio signal; one that goes to the amplifier input and another that goes to another device like a mixing console or sound system. They also provide electrical ground isolation between input and output, and they match the impedance of the source signal to that of the load. For example, a DI box with a high input impedance and a low output impedance may be used to match a microphone to the input stage of a mixing console.

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