Re: [Harp-L] Embossing Reeds, makes them flat?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Any significant change to reed setup or slots can change the tuning of a harmonica.  That's why it's best to do that work first, and tune last. And that's the point at which you find yourself. (It's possilble that the change in the sound of your harp has changed your perception and that the tuning hasn't changed. But it proabaly has changed.)

Do you want to reproduce the tuning and temperament the harp had before? If you measured and recorded the baseline pitch for the harmonica (A440, A442, etc. ) and any variations from equal temperament for specific reeds (+2 cents for this reed, -14 cents for that one, etc.), that would be helpful. Otherwise you may need to experiment to find what suits you.

Tuning itself can be fussy work, but the procedure is fairly straightforward. measure where the reed is relative to your reference pitch (for instance, at A442 it might be 3 cents flat), Then support the reed with a shim, take your sansing wand or file and aply a few strokes to the surface of the reed at the tip (to raise pitch), then blow off the brass dust, plink the reed a few times, asssembe the harp with finger pressure 9(no need to screw it together as long as you can hold it airtight with finger pressure), play it into the tuner and note the result. If it still needs to come up a bit, repeat the procedure. Best to go in small steps and test frequently so you don't go too far. And be aware that reeds can keep rising in pitch after you tune them.

If you do go too far, you can scratch off some metal at the base of the 
reed to lower the pitch. Scratch, file, or sand in parallel with the 
long edge of the reed, and keep and scratches away from the edge of the 
reed. Again, go in small increments to keep from overdoing it.

If you're tuning the whole harp, always start with the reds in the middle range, and start with the key note of the harp (such as Blow 4 on a standard diatonic). Once you create reference pitches in the middle register, use these to check any reeds tuned an octave higher or lower in the outer registers. 

Keeping reedplates in a warming blanket before tuning and periodically during tuning can help keep the tuning stable.

Hope this helps.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

Resident expert at bluesharmonica.com

Harmonica instructor, jazzschool.com

Columnist, harmonicasessions.com

--- On Sun, 5/9/10, Matthew Smart <matthewsmart@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: Matthew Smart <matthewsmart@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Embossing Reeds, makes them flat?
To: "Harp" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sunday, May 9, 2010, 2:04 PM

Embossing my reed slots has really made a difference in the playability, but
it seems to make the reeds flat (in pitch) after doing this. Anyone else
notice this? Tips? thanks