In this video I share the best way to clean a harmonica. ⚡️ Get the Scale Cheatsheet (free!): www.harmonicar... Products Mentioned: Seidel Disinfection Bag: www.seydel1847...
👉Watch this next, 7 Essential Harmonica Accessories: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dYtbWdtkpqU.html Take your experience further: 🌟Download the Scale Cheatsheet: bit.ly/scalesheet 🔥Blues Harp Success: bit.ly/blues-harp-success
The best way to keep the screws organized (on this or any other similar project) is to draw a rough diagram of each piece on cardboard, and then poke the screws into the cardboard where they're supposed to go. This way you guarantee that even if the parts are soaking overnight to clean, you'll be 100% sure how to put the whole thing back together and not lose any parts.
RU-vid is the best. I have several harmonicas. And I noticed every so often they don't play well. Then I got to thinking there must be a way to clean them. Then found your very informed channel thank you very much I learned a lot.😊
I just started learning how to play the harmonica and found your channel. I've subscribed because you're a great teacher. I would like to add that I appreciate your new background colour. Very cool. Much easier on the eyes without all the red.
If it has a plastic comb.put your harmonica in a deep dish on its back. holes facing up.fill with water.drop 4 or 5 denture cleaning tablets in.it will foam like mad and all the bubbles will release the dirt inside.(like the bubbles in washing powder) leave till all the bubbles have gone and the waters clear.you will see all the dirt in the bowl.rins under tap.....done.been doing it for 25 years
Hey, Jonah! Strange coincidence--I was literally running my harmonicas through my Seydel Disinfection Bag ($55US) as I saw your video pop up. One thing about running water through your steel or plastic comb--if your water district has hard water (like here in Carlsbad, California), I would urge you to use filtered water so that calcium does not build up and block the reeds. If you want a really easy harmonica to take apart (three screws and takes less than 30 seconds to disassemble), I would recommend a Yonberg (plus, the cover plates are made of food-grade resin and stay very clean). Great video on what could be a major problem, especially for some of us senior citizens who produce a lot of saliva. Cheers!
@@steeevo0136 Hey, Steeevo! The UV light cannot sterilize the shadow areas. BUT, the Seydel Disinfection Bag produces ozone gas, which will kill everything the UV does not. That is why it is so important to let your harmonica air out for a while before you start playing it, because the ozone will remain in the comb. I use a hair dryer to blow out my harps after I use the bag. I highly recommend getting that Seydel bag because it does keep my harps sanitary. Hope that was helpful. Cheers.
I have never blown my harmonica without thoroughly brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth with mouthwash. This information was in the owner's manual that came with the harmonica. This does keep the harmonica smelling fresh longer however the harmonica will still need periodic cleaning but not as frequently. Using denture tablets to clean the harmonica and proper teeth brushing and mouthwashing, one can possibly go several years without having to take the harmonica apart for a deep cleaning.
Seems a good case for not buying expensive harps, like I did. I hope I can keep them rocking for a long time. I'm not buying anymore high-dollar ones, for sure. Cheers!
I put my harmonica (s) in a glass of Canadian Club 12 year old whiskey over night. Don't start on suck notes after unless you want stuff in your mouth. A careful use of a q-tip also helps. Whiskey blues? Almost a buzz on a clean harmonica!!! Also if you have bad breath and your harmonica is smelling it is because you need to floss. Bad breath is caused by decaying food in your teeth, not all the other nonsense big pharm tries to sell you. Seriously, overnight in whiskey once in a while works. Also I have no problem with wooden combs with this.
I've definitely got some serious harmonica cleaning in my future. I placed an ad on Craigslist in Portland, OR looking for old and tired harmonicas that I could buy to learn how to repairs, them, clean them, and get them out tp folks that wanted to learn to play a decent harmonica. So I get an email from an older fellow and he says to come on over, he's got some for sale. Off to Portland I go, right down in the miffle of town to a high rise retirement home. 15th floor, the guy opens his door and he's basically got a living room, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchenette.. But, it's home for him.. He goes off into the bedroom and comes out with a Plano fishing tackle 790 box. Thos thing had two doors on the frontand when you open those doors, there's two more doors under that.. ALL of them were full of harmonicas, all but one were 10 hole harps from special 20's to Old Standby's. 38 of them.. but, in the bottom trays, there were about 7 or 8 harps all taken apart.. I figured I'd wasted my time because there's no way I was carrying enough money to buy them all so I was cherry picking some of the harps to add to my collection and he says "What are you doing? " I told him I was looking through them to see which ones I wanted to buy.. I asked him how much he was asking.. He said (insert drum roll here) $5.00 including the box... I dang near got a paper cut from pulling a $5.00 bill out of my wallet as fast as I did.. I gave him the money, thanked him graceously and as I walked out the door he said "I hope you have as much fun as I did with them.." Now I've got about 45 harps in all I need to clean up.. Some are missing the screws that hold the cover plates on and others are missing the nails that hold the plates on. I have one that looks like the reed is either bent under the reed bar or broke off.. But hey, I've plenty more to replace that one. I need to find an app that will play the a-g scales so I can fighre out which reed plate is what scale. Once I find it, then I can start seeing if I can make a few more harps out of my parts. There's one Koch Harmonica in the lot I think it was in key of G that has a little issue with one of the reeds but, it's big enough I don't need bifocals to see the little bitty screws. Where's the best place to get those teeny screws, nuts, and nails??
No need to be scared. As long as you have plastic combs it will do no harm to your harp. What I do with mine is hold them in front of a fan both front and back after rinsing them out to ensure they fully driy
Hi Jonah! When I watched your video on the Arkia harmonica I did some research and found out that the more expensive ones come with an antibacterial comb. Would you think this will reduce harmonica maintenance?
Yes! I think it’s a really cool idea… I’m actually getting one sent to me, but I don’t have it yet. I may make a video on it when it comes out. Of course, the comb will not reduce the accumulation of debris, but it will make the sanitizing step unnecessary and it should smell better in general, but I have yet to test it myself.
I don't quite understand why a woodem comb would suffer from a quick rinse under the tap followed by an immediate blow dry, while at the same time it can withstand the warm moist breath we blow through it while playing. I do believe that the wood will swell and understand why, but just cannot get my head around why playing it is not harmful but rinsing it is.
Hi Jonah, I have watched your video on the Arkia harmonica. The more expensive ones come with an antibacterial comb. Have you got one and if so, is it any good? Do you think it might reduce harmonica maintenance?
One thing I'd like to add. Not all tap water is equal, depending on where you live. (I think lower down @jeemalsoknownasjimhawkings1294 mentioned this as well) I've lived in areas where the local water is so mineral heavy by the time the water dries, it's more gunked up than before you rinsed it. One thing I like to do is after rinsing my harmonica in water, (again, only with a plastic or metal comb) is pour some 90% rubbing alcohol into it. This has an added effect of sanitizing your harmonica as well as evaporating extremely quickly (the main reason I do it). The rubbing alcohol evaporates so fast, it will evaporate any residual water right along with it, that's still not dried inside your harp. It does taste a little alcohol-ie....this is a word I just made up lol....if you play them immediately after, but wait 15 minutes, you're golden.
If You Use Vinegar I would guess using the White Vinegar most likely more better then use the Yellow Apple Vinegar , White is designed with cleaning yellow apple Vinegar is Food , I worked with a person that got Apple Vinegar to windows with that was not good it made the windows worse , and attracted a lot Honey Bees , when that person went home I had to reclean those windows with window cleaners to get rid of the Bees LOL. Some Harmonicas they don't have to be thrown away , new reeds can be bought to replace the wore out Reeds .
