Breaking In Your Harp

• Dunking your harmonica in liquid does more harm than good.booze and blues image by adrian fortune from Fotolia.com
  
  Should you break in a new harmonica? Few seem to agree on this topic. Some players advocate breaking in a harp by gentle playing for a few days. Others say it's not necessary. But the old-time method of dunking the harmonica in water before playing it is not recommended. While this makes sense with wood-bodied harps, dunking actually does more harm than good. The wood will expand, making the instrument more airtight and responsive, but this weakens and shrinks the wood over time. If you're using a plastic or metal-combed harp, there's no reason to dunk it.
  
  

Harp Storage

• If you just have a few harmonicas, keep them in the box in which they came when you're not using them. A plastic box is best, but you'll want anything that protects them from dust, dirt and physical damage.
  
  

Keeping It Clean

• Dirt is a mouth harp's worst enemy, and the dirt you introduce to it is especially insidious. Food particles in your mouth will get hung up in the reeds, making them unable to play. Saliva will also muffle a reed, and its corrosive tendencies will eat away at reed plates. Rinse your mouth before playing. Thump your harp against your hand or pants leg while playing to knock out any saliva.
  
  

Don't Play Too Hard

• While normal use puts stress on a harmonica, the biggest reason for reed failure is from playing the instrument too hard. You don't need a lot of breath to make a sound, and if you're using a microphone there's no reason to play too hard anyway. Playing too hard can make the difference between a harmonica lasting several days or several years.
  
  

Maintenance

• Your harmonica may need maintenance every so often, and all of this is done carefully with a gentle hand. Hairs and foreign objects can be fished out of the instrument after disassembly. For maximum responsiveness, reeds can be gapped after disassembly, using a toothpick to ease the reed into proper position. Harmonica parts are fragile, though. Practice maintenance on an old, blown-out harmonica first before attempting anything with one of your front-line instruments.