set-up tuning

[Barry C Schaede <barrys@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To further clarify what I said earlier regarding harmonica set-up it's 
not that brand new harmonicas are all out of tune or poorly adjusted.  
It's more that they don't come the way I like them.  It's a personal 
preference thing just like the action on a guitar or the gauge of 
strings a player prefers or the type of reed an oboe player fashions.  
Harmonica manufactureres all set up harmonicas for a perceived middle 
ground.  If that suits you great but I think that many intermediate to 
advanced players would benefit from learning the mechanics of harmonica 
adjustment and tuning.  I have yet to meet anyone who says that Joe 
Filisko's harmonicas are junk.  Why? He uses off the shelf reed plates, 
the difference is mainly in his expert setup.  His remanufactured Marine 
Bands being the best example of this.  I think the vast majority of 
serious players are going to be able to discern differences in tuning and 
adjustment.  It affects how you play.  The first 70 to 90% of learning an 
instrument comes fairly quickly.  It's that last 10 to 20% that really 
seperates the good p[layers from the great ones.  A whole bunch of little 
tiny details coming together to make a significant change.  One of which 
is set-up.  Yes I know many players that I admire and who's playing I 
enjoy just use em and toss em with no adjustment whatsoever.  I think 
they're giving up some subtlety by doing this.  I also thinks there's 
much to be said for just playing instead of fussing about your sound all 
night long but the two practices don't need to be in opposition.  Why do 
all those rock and roll guys tour with guitar techs.  Set-up you have to 
average the intonation down the neck on almost all guitars.  Just like 
with the equal vs just compromise for harmonicas you pick the compromise 
that suits your playing style the best.  While I truly enjoy Wiliam 
Clarke's newest CD Groove Time, and it has one of the best pure 
harmonica solo pieces on it in years, (Blowin' the Family Jewels)
it's marred for me by the number of acoustic pieces on it that contain 
large sections of out of tune playing on it.  Not so much Mr. Clarke's 
intonation that's at fault here as the tuning of the individual harmonica 
doesn't suit the style of playing he uses on these pieces.  BTW anyone 
that thinks a harmonica comes tuned straight across to an A440 better 
listen again.  With the exception of the Golden Melodies, Meisterklasse, 
and Orchester 1's all the Hohner Diatonics commonly sold in the U.S. are just
tuning.  For a more complete reference of what that tuning is see Steve
Baker's book or check the harp-l archives for Rick Epping's recent discourse
on current and future Hohner tuning schemes. fjm