|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
2nd circle of tuning Hell
2nd circle of tuning Hell
Page:
1
Michael Rubin
204 posts
Jul 27, 2011
6:53 PM
|
So I cannot honestly say I read every word and watched every video suggested before, but I read and watched a lot.
I decided to try some of Harvey Berman's suggestions.
First, I chose a tuning scheme from Richard Sleigh's book and I figured out how to save the tuning into my Peterson stroboflip tuner. Now I play the note and the tuner figures out if I am high or low compared to the tuning scheme.
I also plugged a sm57 directly into the tuner. The lines on the tuner definitely are easier to read, but seem to be easier whether or not I cup the mic.
I also keep a Korg chromatic tuner CA-20 as well. The numbers are easier to sense about how much higher or lower it needs to go than the Peterson.
Then I bought two tuning wands, a 400 for smaller tunings and a 320 for larger tunings.
I also got a .002 feeler gauge to put under the reed for support.
I picked an old C harp where nothing was broken but I could afford to break it.
I had a great success in that I did not break any reed nor did I knock any reed out of center.
However, many reeds seem to run out of metal to scrape off and they would not raise in pitch, even becoming lower in pitch. This problem really only seem to happen when sharpening notes.
Is there a point where there is no more metal to scrape, or can you just keep digging even when the darker parts of the reed have been scraped away?
If it can be where there is no more metal, what can you do to save the reed? Is bluetak the only solution?
Also, Jim suggeted you cannot raise the pitch on the high reeds. So you are just screwed if 9 blow is very low in pitch?
Thanks in advance!
|
Todd Parrott
592 posts
Jul 27, 2011
8:22 PM
|
I just use a Korg tuner and use the built-in mic. And I tune high reeds all the time. I even took a high G once and tuned the whole harp up to an Ab.
As far as how much metal you can file before it's too much, I'll leave that to a customizer to answer. I'm just a tinkerer. But, I hope this helps a little bit.
|
Michael Rubin
205 posts
Jul 27, 2011
8:50 PM
|
Yes, thanks, see you at SPAH
|
JInx
21 posts
Jul 27, 2011
9:06 PM
|
if you can't tune by ear, it's not gonna happen
|
jim
949 posts
Jul 28, 2011
12:05 AM
|
if you tune up, run out of metal, and the reed starts to get flatter, it is screwed up. Replacement.
Whenever I need a top reed tuned up, or any reed tuned down more that three semitones, I replace the reed with an appropriate pitch.
Use the Korg and your ears to check,
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
Michael Rubin
206 posts
Jul 28, 2011
4:29 AM
|
Jlnx,
I can hear when my harp is in tune enough to please me, but I am trying to create super nice chords by using a very precise tuning system.
Jim, I guess replacing reeds is the next thing I have to learn.
|
HarveyHarp
286 posts
Jul 28, 2011
4:48 PM
|
@ michael. If you file the tip of the reed, and the pitch does not get sharper, or worse yet gets flatter, then you either are filing way too high up the reed, or more probably the reed is fractured and needs to be replaced.
Tthe same is true if you set the gap, and then plink the reed, or activate the reed and the gap consistantly gets smaller. You probably have a fractured reed.
Personally, one thing I always do before I tune a harp, is clean it real good, including in the slots. I use barkeepers friend and a toothbrush. It doesn't take too much mouth crude to change the tuning of the harp, and I think it normally gets flatter.
----------
HarveyHarp
|
Post a Message
|
