GermanHarpist
514 posts
Jul 19, 2009
1:41 PM
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I just read Joe Spiers post on the other thread and I think he is talking about something crucial. I thought I'd start a new thread for that.
" Blow notes can blow sharp, draw notes can flatten excessively relative to how they used to behave. " ?? used to behave when?
" To make it more confusing to the ear-tuner, they're inconsistent. You'll get one harp that intonates every note properly, and the next 2 that don't. And it isn't just Hohners, I've seen it on all of them. "
Can anyone explain that paragraph further. Is it, that it's not as easy to get a consistent pitch out of a reed depending on how you blow? or what is the problem he is describing here?
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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tookatooka
306 posts
Jul 19, 2009
2:03 PM
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Hmmm! I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it confusing GH. As if things are not hard enough. You get the bends and overblows sorted out and then they throw this at us. I'm sure Sonny Boy got along fine without delving into this "Dark Art" as Adam called it.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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Jim Rumbaugh
68 posts
Jul 19, 2009
2:20 PM
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From my amateur experience with tuning my harp.
The harder you draw, the flatter it plays (holes 1-6)
As a matter of fact, I just clicked on my AP-Tuner application and checked the blows. They went flat with a hard blow also.
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harpwrench
53 posts
Jul 19, 2009
5:47 PM
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What I was trying to say is that the intonation of the "normal" note on reeds can be inconsistent on some harps. Sometimes the 7-10 blow reeds will go sharp when you blow harder, sometimes flatter. The rest of the reeds might flatten somewhat under harder playing pressure.
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 2:41 PM
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oldwailer
837 posts
Jul 20, 2009
11:21 AM
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I used to play the 12-string guitar quite a bit--if you didn't know--these guitars are considered to be a bitch to tune--and I learned that the most important skill in tuning it is to be able to say the words "that's fuc*ing close enough!" it took a few years of going around the bend to come up with this wisdom--and here it is--for free--all you have to do is take it.
I don't think harmonica tuning is all that different--but that's just an opinion, and I wouldn't want to piss anybody off or anything.
I find that my "FCE" ("Fuc*ing Close Enough") tuned harps give me a great deal of pleasure to play.
I also find that my Buddha harps seem to be in the "LFCE" ("Lot Fuc*ing Closer Enough") tuning--which is very nice too--but then Buddha started tuning back when brass was a cutting edge concept--as did Harpwrench and a lot of other guys. . .
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Kingley
256 posts
Jul 20, 2009
11:33 AM
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Maybe Chris and Joe should advertise their tuning as the patented Oldwailer LFCE tuning!! :)
Tuning harps can drive you batty that's for sure.
My advice to someone who's starting to try it is to follow something like the charts Steve Baker has in his Harp Handbook.
I played harps tuned that way (Steve's recommended tuning) for years and they were great.
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GermanHarpist
516 posts
Jul 20, 2009
12:06 PM
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Thanks for the clarification, Joe. I understand what you meant, now.
And, oldwailer, FCE is the way to go for me! As I know I would tune that reed until the brass is gone... ;) A couple of wiffs with the file, and "FCE", baby!
So you gotta play at your usual style (force/volume). Probably playing the harp warm before tuning is not such a bad idea either... and then find a good compromise between single notes and chords (if there are some discrepancies). ok,...
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
Last Edited by on Jul 20, 2009 12:09 PM
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tookatooka
308 posts
Jul 20, 2009
1:11 PM
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Hmmm! Wonder if it's possible to retune a Suzuki harp to the same tuning as a Marine Band? Next time I blow a reed, I think I'll try and see what happens.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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Kingley
257 posts
Jul 20, 2009
1:32 PM
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"Hmmm! Wonder if it's possible to retune a Suzuki harp to the same tuning as a Marine Band?"
Yes it's possible. It's been about 10 years since I played a Suzuki harp.
I tried a Suzuki HA20 once. It was a nice responsive harp to play but just to bright for my taste.
I seem to recall that they were equal tuned (I could be wrong).
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GermanHarpist
522 posts
Jul 20, 2009
1:39 PM
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" Wonder if it's possible to retune a Suzuki harp to the same tuning as a Marine Band? "
Sweet idea...
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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