|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Sjöberg Tuner use
Sjöberg Tuner use
Page:
1
SuperBee
2268 posts
Nov 17, 2014
3:00 AM
|
hi, i'm interested to discuss with other users of the sjoberg table, how you go about getting the best from it.
ive tried to do as suggested by Dick sjoberg, to tune using a reference reed, but i'm afraid it just doesn't work for me. when i put the harp back together it doesn't work how it did with the reed plate on the table.
the way i use it now is to first sound each reed in the harp and compare it to a tuner. i make a note of how many cents above or below the bang-on-pitch note it is. then i disassemble the harp and conduct the same exercise with the plates on the table.
i calculate how many cents the reed has to change to achieve my target pitch, and then retune the reed to move pitch by this number. on reassembly, the harp will usually be very close to how i want it.
i'm not quite sure why the table gives inconsistent variation from reed to reed, but it does. ive seen some reeds play higher on the table than on the harp, some play the same and others play lower. ive tuned about 15 harps on it so far and i havent seen a clear pattern yet, but i suspect it has to do with inconsistency in the reed plates...i mean small dents, buckles, anything that causes some variation in the airflow.
anyway, i'm interested in discussion with other users who dont have a financial interest in the machine but just want to get the best use from it. i do find it to be a very good tool, and it definitely speeds up the process for me.
|
barbequebob
2757 posts
Nov 17, 2014
12:35 PM
|
Using a tuning table of any kind, much like what they use in harp factories, uses it connected to a low powered air compressor, which actually has a much more consistent, even flow of air than the vast majority of players are going to be able to put out (and most players if they're trying to tune, too often make the HUGE mistake of playing it way too hard, which drops the pitch often times quite dramatically and so the tuning often times will be way off) and so when tuning on the table, tuning to a standard pitch of A442-A443 allows the instrument to play as close to true A440 as humanly possible because most people will drop the pitch downward when they play and very few players, regardless of them being pros or amateurs are gonna take any harp tuned to true A440 and actually play it that way.
You have to have everything absolutely FLUSH FLAT and PROPERLY ALIGNED and even the slightest curve of the plate (or warping), or whatever can change results.
One thing to remember is that harps OOTB are NEVER going to be 100% consistent no matter who makes them and that's been true since the time they were first invented. Whenever anything is in mass production, there is ALWAYS going to be inconsistencies of some sort that can't always be taken out unless each one is taken off the line and human labor is put to work to correct them, but that will often dramatically increase the labor costs, which will always make harmonicas more expensive.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
oldwailer
2016 posts
Nov 19, 2014
8:21 AM
|
I have no experience with the Sjoberg tuner--but I did at one time develop a similar machine, and I still work with it now and then, although I must admit that I have, over time become an OOTB player most of the time.
The above info is spot on--flat and airtight is vital--the next MOST important factor, in my experience with a similar thing: exact same VERY LOW air pressure EVERY time. This is very hard to achieve. (Working with this tuner has actually made me a much softer player).
When I was developing the Harp Hookah, I tried using several machines to operate it, with a valve to adjust the pressure--I never found any combination that could get the pressure low and steady enough every time to achieve a good result.
----------
"Too Pretty for the Blues."
|
arzajac
1510 posts
Nov 19, 2014
11:03 AM
|
"i make a note of how many cents above or below the bang-on-pitch note it is. then i disassemble the harp and conduct the same exercise with the plates on the table... i calculate how many cents the reed has to change to achieve my target pitch, and then retune the reed to move pitch by this number. on reassembly, the harp will usually be very close to how i want it."
The problem with tuning tables (hardware) and tuning tables (a table of numbers to follow) is that there are subtleties to a properly tuned harp that only show themselves when you play the harp with your mouth.
A reed plate will not sound the same with air flowing thought it on a table as it would with air flowing to/from your mouth. And the reed's pitch will change with airflow. We adjust the airflow though the harmonica in very subtle ways as we play. I think the best way to adjust the tuning of a harp is using your ears and your mouth. Along with a chromatic tuner, of course.
But you can't tune by numbers only, you need to tweak the numbers a little to get them to sound right. For example, the lower reeds need to be a little sharper and the higher reeds need to be a little flatter to sound the same.
I created the French Tuner to allow the blow reed plate to be tuned off the comb to greatly speed up the process, but still using your mouth and ears to get the work done.
----------
Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Nov 19, 2014 11:07 AM
|
SuperBee
2269 posts
Nov 20, 2014
1:47 AM
|
hmmm...seems like it would be virtually impossible to tune a harp perfectly for another person then...
im able to get single reed bends with the reed plate on the sjoberg table...by 2 full steps at least...it does come with a restricting valve to reduce airflow. the first thing Kinya said to him when we spoke about it was to remove that valve...interesting also that none of the peopel who have commented so far actually are users of the sjoberg device (or maybe BBQBob has one?)....but i appreciate the comments from you all.
|
Post a Message
|
