Jaw Harp Care

Under ordinary conditions, moisture that condenses on a jaw harp warmed by the player's body and breath will evaporate on its own. If the instrument is put straight into a closed case, however, or left in very humid air, a steel jaw harp will begin to rust. This is not dangerous in itself, but it is unattractive. After playing, a steel instrument should always be wiped dry with any cloth or tissue; in normal conditions this is all it needs. Alcohol is unnecessary: it is a disinfectant, not a way to dry metal. In especially humid conditions, the jaw harp may be coated with a little oil. Tea-tree oil will naturally be more pleasant than machine oil.

If rust does appear, fresh rust is easiest to remove with a washing-up liquid such as Fairy. Put one drop on the abrasive side of a kitchen sponge and rub firmly a few dozen times. Better still, prevent rust simply by wiping the jaw harp dry with your fingers immediately after playing. If you want to restore a mirror finish, the surface can be polished with GOI polishing paste. It is better to under-polish than to over-polish: polishing also removes metal, which can alter the sound and shorten the instrument's working life.

Almost every metal jaw harp darkens with time, and brass does so fastest. The rate varies from one person and environment to another because perspiration, saliva and air humidity differ. There is no need to keep polishing an instrument back to its original shine for the reasons above—although you may do so if you particularly enjoy it.

To give a jaw harp a long life, control the force of your strike. Different models have different strength limits, and variations in the material can create substantial differences even within one batch. Watch how the instrument responds as the force increases: volume does not rise evenly, and the gain becomes smaller as you approach the danger zone. When a stronger strike produces only a barely noticeable increase in volume, stop—or, better, step back a little. Excessive stress causes irreversible changes in the reed's metal structure. The reed then begins to deteriorate and may eventually break even under a light touch.