[Harp-L] A=440 was Original Hohner Pro Harp/painted covers

[Deb Wind <deb.wind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This has been a fascinating discussion so far.  A respectful and 
heartfelt "thank you" to all of those who have attempted to answer my 
question so far both privately and on list. My next question is WHY does 
the pitch tend to drop on a harp?  Is it because of the water vapor in 
one's breath? Is it anything along the same lines as dunking a harp in 
water and thus changing its pitch (because of the clinging water)? Or 
does it have something to do with the decrease/increase in air pressure? 
Or both? (... or neither....)

Ever inquisitive, and appreciative,
Deb

John wrote:
> When LOs first came out , i am positive they were tuned to A444 and 
> either 4 or 6 cents sharp,  I am a little uncertain about whether it 
> was 4 or 6 cents sharp, but i very clearly recall the A444 tuning.  I 
> don't know what  they are tuned to now, but back in the 80s, it was 
> A444 and at least 4 cents sharp.  And, yeah, it was not possible to 
> sound acceptable with keyboards on a consistent basis, which is why i 
> stopped using them.
>
> Now that i think about it, the promo material said that the X cents 
> sharp was just above the amount detectible by the human ear and was 
> done for brightness to stand out and cut through.  The other day, 
> Iceman said in a post  that most people can hear a difference of 3 
> cents,  So, 4 cents was probably what was stated, not 6 cents.
>
> I'm pretty sure Suzuki Hammonds, Promasters and Firebreaths  are 
> A442.  Harmonicas are typically tuned a little above A440 because the 
> tone flattens a little under breath pressure when playing, even when 
> not specifically bending a note.  So, as i understand it, most of us 
> would sound flat performing on a harp tuned to precisely A440.  There 
> are others on this list who know more about this than i do.
>
> But the promo material for the original LOs touted A444.  i am very 
> confident in my recollection about that.
>
> JP