Re: [Harp-L] tune the higher notes sharper or lower? - Richard Sleigh vs. Pat Missin

[Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

I think that you are conflating two different subjects.

Intonation or temperament relates to the desired pitches of the scale for just, or equal, or other.  This is what you want to hear when you are playing.   The reason for equal temperament is that, although "just" makes the chords sweeter, it only works for one key at a time.  You can't use "just" intonation on a keyboard instrument or chromatic harmonica that is to be played in all keys. Between notes having the same name in just and equal temperament there are small differences in pitch.  The differences are not equal or proportional for every scale degree.

The reasons that vocal and string quartet chords sound exceptionally sweet is because the musicians can use slightly different pitches for notes of the same name depending on the chord.  They can use their ears to tune every chord in every key for "just" intonation. 

The other subject is how much the player "pulls down" the natural pitch of the reed when he plays it.  If the person tuning the harp and the person playing it are the same, then this is not a concern because he can check the pitch as he normally plays the reed.  Any compensation occurs automatically.

However, if the tuner checks the harp with gentle breathing, he may not pull the reeds down appreciably.  Then when the player bears down, the pitches go a bit flat...the low pitches more than the high ones.  Because the low pitches are more subject to "pull down" than are the high ones, a harp compensated for pull down will have a "tilt" where the lowest reed is sharp and the highest reed is not.

Vern
  
On Jul 1, 2011, at 9:25 AM, captron100@xxxxxxx wrote:

> 
>  I seem to remember somewhere, maybe in one of Richard Sleigh's tuning videos on u tube, he says that for a just intonated harp he tempers the tuning for sweeter chords by tuning notes a tad higher as he goes up the harp towards the higher notes.  Two other customizers (Pat Missin and Rumanian customizer Jim, who has the DIY workshop on u tube) that because lower pitched reeds usually flatten more with increasing pressure than higher pitched reeds, they tune the higher reeds a tad lower than their octave counterparts.  
>  So which is it?  Or am I totally wrong in what i think I remember?
> 
> ron
> 
>