[Harp-L] Re: First serious foray into tuning questions

[Paul Bowering <paul_bowering@xxxxxxxxx>]

Two things. First, play the reed you intend to tune a bit before tuning it. I've found that that a cold reed's pitch drops as condensation forms. Keep the reeds warm for more consistent results.

Second, consider if you use pucker embouchure when you play a single note. I used to do that and tune the reed just right and then still get a beating octave. It occurred to me that changing my embouchure changed my resonance. The solution was to isolate the upper octave by using tongue block which creates a resonance very close to playing an octave. (Of course that high reed will now be slightly out when you play it as a single note but not as noticable as those beating octaves).

Paul


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