528hemi
451 posts
Jun 23, 2015
10:17 AM
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I know many people tune their harps multiple time and try
to get them perfect but doesn't it really come down to ear when playing? I mean as soon as you get some moisture build up on the reeds the tuning changes so you are constantly adjusting your playing to compensate if you have a good ear and ability to control the notes.
I guess what I am trying to say is if a harp is out of tune slightly will a good player with a good ear still play it in tune by breathe adjustments without really thinking about it?
I understand a harp that is perfectly in tune is a great starting point but really wonder how often the professional really checks it and makes adjustments before a Gig.
528hemi
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ridge
624 posts
Jun 23, 2015
11:54 AM
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I'm not a pro and I dislike tuning. For me, as long as everything is uniformly sharp then I am happy. Chances are it's going to play flat once moisture builds up or I'm playing harder.
Great question!
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Ridge's YouTube
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barbequebob
2955 posts
Jun 23, 2015
12:10 PM
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As for if the changes become permanent, it all depends just where the dried on saliva and/or dead skin lands. If it dries on the free end of the reed, the pitch will get flatter, but if it's at the riveted end, it will get sharper. If you avoid using too much breath force in your playing all the time, you shouldn't have this become a real big problem. I would recommend that before anyone begins to tune a reed that you use some isoporopyl alcohol of 91% by volume on a LINT FREE paper towel (so that means do NOT be a cheapskate because the cheap stuff leaves lint, something you don't want) and carefully and GENTLY wipe it clean first or get some automotive naval jelly AKA rust remover on the reed plates brushed on very carefully and then rinsed with cold water and often times a retuning may be unneessary. However, before doing either one, make sure that you remove the reed plates from the comb and covers first.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Pistolcat
788 posts
Jun 23, 2015
12:33 PM
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My ears are so-so still I can hear the draw three hole sounding a bit flat when playing major stuff in second position... What really gives you away is beats when playing octaves. When amplified the beats really stick out!
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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Gnarly
1393 posts
Jun 23, 2015
1:37 PM
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I am tuning harmonicas a lot these days--I work for Suzuki Music, and do all their harmonica repairs.
Our instruments are tuned to ET, for the most part, and players are able to play in tune using them. I find that "sweetening the chords" makes the harps louder and easier to play two and three note chords that sound good, but experienced players can do that with ET harps--they know how to bend to make it happen.
As far as retuning, you can retune a reed a whole bunch, that is not the thing that will kill a reed.
Hot water is usually enough to clear off dried human product--take the harp apart, heat some water to boiling in the microwave, and allow the disassembled harp to soak for a few minutes, then remove and carefully dry the comb and cover plates--you can just shake the reed plates off, it won't matter if they have a little moisture on them. You can plink the reeds while the harp is apart, that will help non-harmonica particles to separate as well. Reassemble the harp and it should be much better.
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Thievin' Heathen
554 posts
Jun 23, 2015
4:26 PM
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It can take over your life, or at least large blocks of time. You might also find yourself with hundreds of harmonicas in various states of tune.
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SuperBee
2712 posts
Jun 23, 2015
9:17 PM
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it drives me crazy
i do my best, which means i'm seeking spot-on and aware that embouchure and condensation will affect the work and that tuning can drift
no-one has complained yet, most commend my work, but i suspect they may be relatively non-critical consumers.
a guy approached me with a story about an unsatisfactory experience of tuning. he wanted to know my credentials. maybe he thinks there is an accredited harmonica tuning school somewhere. have i worked for any reputable players? i was reluctant to take on his fairly small job, it smelled like aggravation, so i told him i thought he would do best to learn to tune his own. i'm not sure if he has embraced my suggestion, but he has not sent his harps to me and i reckon that may be a good outcome for both of us. Maybe we will have a new pro harp-tuner in this country soon.
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arzajac
1656 posts
Jun 24, 2015
5:12 AM
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"I guess what I am trying to say is if a harp is out of tune slightly will a good player with a good ear still play it in tune by breathe adjustments without really thinking about it?"
No. The pitch tends to flatten with time and condensation. To correct it, you would need to bend upwards. The only notes available to be bend upwards are the overbends but that's only a small number of notes. And they are flat to begin with!
Do you like perfect octaves, or do you like them "wet" (to sound dissonant, wah-wah sounding)?
What you can do with octaves is limited, too. The harder you play, the flatter the notes become. When you play an octave, the lower note will flatten sooner. You can control how wet the octave sounds by adjusting your breath force, but if the top note is sharper than the bottom note, you will never get the octave to play in tune. The only option you will have is wet or wetter.
If the bottom note is sharper, you get the option of playing the octave split in tune, or playing a wet octave just by adjusting your breath.
So these things aren't random. If you want all the options, you need to start with a harp that's in tune.
I find tuning very important. You can hide the fact a harp is difficult to play from the audience. But you can't hide the fact a harp is out of tune...
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica Combs and Tools.
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MP
3288 posts
Jun 24, 2015
2:30 PM
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At first and possibly for a long time afterward tuning will drive you crazy. There is so much to know and most of this knowledge is trial and error. It is a great idea to pay close attention to the repair guys tips.
I would add one thing to BBQBobs cleaning post re-lint. Old T-shirts are lint free. I'll cut them up in small manageable pieces. They are great, durable, and have many uses including putting parts like screws on them so they don't go rolling off into never never land.
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I'm out of the Biz for a while till I get over my burnout. You can try HarveyHarp or arzajac, or just look the page nacoran put together under Forum Search.
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Popculture Chameleon
77 posts
Jun 26, 2015
1:52 PM
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A guy called Sugar Cane takes six months to tune his custom harps but the reviews I have seen online they are worth the wait, go to his website and you can see what he uses to fine tune his harps. Honestly wouldn't even know how to do that though I know I should learn but not many people play here in georgia
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SuperBee
2716 posts
Jun 26, 2015
3:22 PM
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It is 8 am Saturday here, and time for me to kick off the craziness for the weekend. I have a bunch of harp tuning to revisit today. I'm gonna take it very calmly. I've been secreting myself away in my own room to work on harps, but today I will bring them out to a nicer more open space where I feel happier. My private room is very practical but it has a vibe I don't like for tuning harps, even though it's very quiet. It's on the south side of my house. No natural light (Southern Hemisphere y'all), window to a paling fence, separating me from a castle of crazy neighbour. I work much better in sunshine. I feel much better working in sunlight. Kinya Pollard told me that he considers great light is so important to working on harps, much more than magnification. Of course, lighting is Kinya's business, but I can't deny the older I get the more light my eyes need. Not for tuning, you may think, but I like to see the reeds and the surface thereof, just where the file is biting etc. but mainly it's about psychology. Calm and focused. At my kitchen table I have a window on the world, it's like the command centre of my home. Overlooking my garden and out to the street. Secure and in control. And them harps
Crazy?
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