mojojojo
52 posts
Jun 30, 2010
1:05 AM
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Just wondering if anyone has tried a pitch shifter guitar pedal such as Boss Super Shifter to tune a harp DOWN an octave.
I'd try it myself but equipment is hard to come by in Jakarta.
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I suck at harmonica!
Jakarta River Blues Band
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jim
198 posts
Jun 30, 2010
1:40 AM
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nope... it is not really the same thing.
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Andrew
1034 posts
Jun 30, 2010
5:32 AM
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The point of harps is not just the sound they make, it's the way they feel when you play them - playing the harp is a sensual experience. You might get the sound of a low F from electronics, but you'll get the feel of a high F in your mouth and hands. It'll be like using a dental dam. Give your mouth a treat, buy a Low F.
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Andrew,
gentleman of leisure,
noodler extraordinaire.
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Hobostubs Ashlock
852 posts
Jun 30, 2010
5:36 AM
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i was wondering that awhile back that was a good expanation Andrew,makes sence to me
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Buddha
2153 posts
Jun 30, 2010
6:51 AM
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I always tell my students to spend lots of time working out on low keyed harps to develop their tone.
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"All is bliss"
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Joch230
211 posts
Jun 30, 2010
7:23 AM
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I have a low D harp and the cool thing with it is that is just sounds so full playing the simplest stuff. Even something really simple, like Amazing Grace or chugging a bit is fun. And for some real fun...give Whammer Jammer a shot on a low D!
-John
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Greg Heumann
602 posts
Jun 30, 2010
8:29 AM
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Andrew, I couldn't have said it better. And it will not only improve your tone it will teach you breath control. The lower the harp, the more critical that is. Low C's are a BLAST and the Low Low F in recent discussion (another octave down) must be played incredibly quietly.
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/Greg
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nacoran
2299 posts
Jun 30, 2010
9:04 AM
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I've used a pitch shifter with OK results. The key is it has to be a full octave shift otherwise the pitch will feel too different in your hand and throw you off. I've also shifted a harp down with Audacity after the fact with really good results for recordings. It's especially useful if you need to play something fast where a low harps slower response will trip you up. You get better volume too. That said, my LLF is still one of my favorites.
I don't have a recording on a pitch shifter, but here is a before and after of an Audacity pitch shift. Obviously that would be tough live! (Although if you use Asio4all drivers on your computer you are supposed to be able to more live effects.) With a pitch shifter you have to make sure you are turned up loud enough so the audience is only getting one stream of sound and if you play something other than the octave you will basically have to harmonize with yourself. This was recorded on a G harp. Both the harp and the guitar got tuned down, but if you record in tracks you can obviously do just one.
Regular
Tuned Down 1 octave
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Nate
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Last Edited by on Jun 30, 2010 10:57 AM
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barbequebob
995 posts
Jun 30, 2010
10:41 AM
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The pitch shifter is really not going to emulate a real Low F because the playing attack that works on the higher F is physically NOT the same as what works on a Low F at all. On a Low F, I caneasily use a more saxophone like attack wheras on the higher F, that attack won't work at all and a more guitar like attack works better and just dropping it an octave just ain't gonna cut the mustard and I've tried one and that's the real deal on it. The feel so as different as night and day and the notes resonates so differently.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
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nacoran
2304 posts
Jun 30, 2010
11:14 AM
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BBQ, I agree it feels different, but I think it can sound good. It does take some getting used to and I wouldn't recommend it for a setting where the audience is going to be hearing a significant amount of unamplified noise from the stage. But if they are far enough back so they only hear the speakers I think it can work. It may not sound exactly like a low harp, but that may not matter. Here is a sample of a LLF (although it's mostly doing percussive effects) to compare with the pitch shifted G I posted above. I don't have anything recorded with live pitch shifting, but I think if you can get past the fact that the sound coming out of the speaker is different than what is coming out of your harp (and that's not to bad for perfect octaves) I think the tone comes out well.
Of course, a LF isn't going to be into that next price bracket like some of the lower harps since it's still a fairly common tuning. (The other harp is a Bb.) And a LF should still be pretty responsive so that's not as big an issue as it would be with some of the deeper harps.
Thumper (LLF & Bb)
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Nate
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