Comparison: Brass- vs. stainless-steel-reeds

Both tones where produced with Bb harps (2-draw, F = 349Hz = 3.49 on the x-axes), at the same pressures and 40 cm distance from a condensor microphone with no cover plates in order to make it more comparable.

You can hear and see the difference!

Any tone consists of the fundamental frequency plus harmonious and disharmonious overtones.

There are much more overtones produced with stainless steel reeds (see range 1600-4000 Hz). This is one of the reasons for the fuller (or more bluesy) sound of stainless steel reeds!

Fig.1: Power spectra: 2-draw (fundamental frequency of is F=349 Hz, mean of ca. 1/3 second, see envelopes below)

Sound examples:

small:Session Bb vs. 1847 Bb, 2-draw, no covers small:Session Session Bb vs. 1847 Bb, no covers

Envelopes:

Fig. 2: Signal on the left: Brass-reeds (blue in the upper panel), signal on the right: stainless steel reeds (red in the upper panel)

Valves minimize air loss when playing blow or draw notes.

Full-Valving

If both reeds of a corresponding reed pair are equipped with valves, the possibilities of bending the notes is very limited. If a valve is only closing the lower tuned reed of the pair then bending notes remains possible.

In our valved serial models we do not valve the very high notes (e.g. holes 11 and 12 on a Chromatic in D). If you select valves which will note operate correctly given your selections, we shall not attach them!

Half-valving

The valves are put on the draw plate of 1-6 (valve is on the inside of harp hole) and valves on blow plate of 7-10 (valve is on outside of upper plate).This leads to better air-tightness of the instrument - bending notes are still playable!

In addition a skilled player can get the blow-bending notes in holes 1-6 blow and the draw bendings in 7-10 in a certain range. So all notes of the chromatic scale become available without the need of the overblow technique !

PT Gazell is the master on the half-valved harmonica and showed what becomes possible on these instruments!We use the same material for the valves that PT uses in his instruments!