Possible Clogged Spit Valve
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Hey everyone. I’m new to this site and melodicas in general. Was just wondering, how frequent are clogged spit valve problems? I have a Yamaha P-37D. I frequently clear the instrument of spit but I just realized that no air and barely any spit is coming out of the spit valve. I’m planning on opening up my melodicas to tune in the weekend, so if it’s clogged I might as well clean it up. (I read one of the topics here on how to give your melodica a bath.) Also, I assume air is suppose to come out of the spit valve, right? When I told my dad about this he asked me if air came out of the valve when I first got it. I could only tell him “I think so” because I didn’t really pay much attention to it but I just assumed it’s suppose to. Might be a stupid question, but I just wanted to make sure. I’m new with this instrument.
Also, I got this melodica new a month ago so it isn’t that old. And I forgot to mention this, but the spit seems to be leaking out of the casing edges (where it seems the case splits apart after you remove the screws). I hope I’m explaining it well.
The spit valve is a spring mechanism. Not complicated at all. When you attempt to blow (Without pushing any keys) you will feel resistance. Next, push the spit valve, and you will sense the change that air is escaping. You may not feel the air stream where you are holding the melodica, but the lack of resistance will tell you that you are clearing the instrument.
A nearly new instrument should not need cleaning unless you’ve been eating and drinking while playing.
Good luck and welcome.Ok thanks. Was just worried why I couldn’t feel anything. I can feel air from my Suzuki Study-32. Might just be brand differences.
Hi Mark, you won’t feel or see anything, the air and moisture are released into the inside of the case.
Oh OK. Thanks for clearing that up. And that is a weird design. There is even a hole right on the other side of where the button is. I thought that is where the spit is suppose to come out of.
The critical question, Mark, is whether the melodica is playing properly. My experience with the Yamaha P-37D is that it does not have moisture problems, although the venting seems oddly designed. If notes are playing cleanly, as they typically do on this model, I wouldn’t worry about how blowing it out sounds or feels. On Yamahas, a note may occasionally choke, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the moisture venting. Moisture is vented into the inside of the enclosure, but it doesn’t seem to create any problems. This moisture eventually drains out or evaporates.
Some notes tend to get choked out, but it usually goes away and never comes back if I hold the note for a few seconds. Don’t really know what causes it though.
It’s not unusual to have occasional note chokes with a Yamaha Pianica, Mark, usually occurring when a note is blown hard. If it persists, it’s usually because the reed gap needs to be adjusted. I have done this while tuning my P-37D. I wouldn’t worry about the moisture venting unless there are other symptoms. The P-37 is also not a melodica that requires frequent venting.
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