[Harp-L] Bushman temperament/tuning and first impressions

[Paul Bowering <paul_bowering@xxxxxxxxx>]

Just received my first Bushman harp; a Soul's voice in
D. (I'm hoping for a Delta Frost or Hering vintage
under the Christmas tree). 

First the good. As advertised the high register
performs with a smoothness comparable to the lower
octaves. (The only exception might be some drag on
blow 10 but overall a noticeable improvement over
other harps). 
Also as promoted, the overblows on this harp llok to
be especially inviting. OB6 just leaps out with only
half the air normally required to get the note
started. And this without chocking out the regular
blow 6 when I want it immediately after an OB. Size
and shape are quite similar to A LO but with an ever
so slightly less rounded fron edge to the comb. It's
surprising that this could make a difference but I
like it because it allows you to grap that edge with
your lips better. The tone is quite nice as well.
Fuller than an Oskar, slightly muted compared to the
tone of vented cover MBs or Big Rivers. The holes are
perfectly square and thus bigger than the rectangles
of every other harp I've personally tried. Too early
to tell if this helps of hinders my play.

Now the bad. Actually, there isn't a lot to deter but
it should be noted that the beeswax/nailpolish to the
rivet trick is a must. The afore mentioned beautiful
overblows came only after this fix. Without it those
reeds squeal like banshee. I even had problems on the
3 draw bend with tersional instability. Not even
Oskars had done that to me before! I think that
gapping and applying nailpolish can put a harp out of
tune however. The top register sounds off now.
Stupidly, I forget to check the temperament before I
did the mod so now I need your help. Does anybody know
the tuning scheme for the Soul's voice? The designer
has in the past refered to it as Just but I'm pretty
sure that a compromised tuning was inferred.

One side issue about Bushman temperaments. I'm sure
that the Soul's Voice and Delta Frost could both
perform well in a number of situations but since the
Frost is described as having a gritty bluesy tone I'm
curious why they tuned that harp to 12TET instead of
the warmer Soul's Voice which might suit a jazz
context except for its Just?/Compromised? temperament.


		
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