Using valves (or windsavers - little plastic flaps over the reed slots
opposite the reeds) allows us to bend the normally unbendable notes.  I feel
that it is also a great way to develop your tone (resonance).  If you can't
bend the valved notes, your tone will be weak and can be vastly improved. 
When your resonance is "right", you will be able to bend valved reeds.

Windsavers are available from Hohner, as well as other sources.  The 
"technical" price is something like $8 for enough to valve a 64 reed 
chromatic, but Hohner is pretty good about sending out samples - enough to
valve a couple of diatonics.

You can make your own out of thin plastic, such as overhead transparency 
film.  I've had good success with this.  But it's an awful lot easier to 
bite the bullet and order them from Hohner, especially for that first one.



To valve a diatonic for bending unbendable notes:

1. Disassemble the harp, and lay out the reed plates reedside down.

2. If you have precut windsavers, lay them out over the reed holes, so they
slightly overlap the reed holes, but not by much.  If they overlap TOO much,
they may interfere with the comb, especially on Oskars.  Place them over draw
1-6 (lower reed plate) and blow 7-10 (upper reed plate).

If yours are not precut, or the wrong size, cut them so they overlap the reed
slot by about 1/16th inch, or about a millimeter if you use that "other" ruler
:-)

3. Place a drop of Superglue on a piece of cellophane, aluminum foil, or other
nonporous surface.

4. SLIGHTLY dip the dimpled end (if it has a dimple), convex side up, in the
superglue.  A little is all you need.  I like to use tweezers, but they're 
not required.  Remember that a drop of Superglue will hold a ton, so you 
don't need much at all.

5. Place the windsaver over the rivet.  Press into place with firm finger
pressure, for a second.  Remove tweezers, press on the free end with your
other finger, then remove your finger from the glued end.  If you take too
long doing this, you will become attached to your harp - literally.

If it's not on straight, it can be easily repositioned, so don't worry too
much about it.  If the glue sets first, simply pull the windsaver off, chip
the old glue off the reed plate, and reapply.

6. Reassemble the harp and let it set an hour or so.  Overnight is even
better.

This will allow you to bend the normally unbendable blow 1-6 and draw 7-10
reeds IF you use the right technique - a very "open" mouth and throat, less
wind, and resonance specific for each note. You won't have to "force" these.  
They come quite easily and naturally with the right technique.  I can play 
harp for twelve hours straight (with the traditional gaps and breaks of 
course), and I couldn't do that if it were at all strenuous! 

This bending method (which I call "resonant bending" produces a vastly 
superior tone, so if you have trouble bending valved harp, this will give 
you TWO eventual rewards; more bends and better tone. 

Keep in mind that valves are also called "windsavers", so you'll need less 
wind when playing the valved notes (the reeds that don't have the windsaver.
You'll get accustomed to the difference shortly.



 -- IronMan Mike Curtis
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/8830/