[Harp-L] Re: Embouchure for tuning

[Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lasse wrote:
So... should I always try to adjust my embouchure to get the highest possible pitch?

Steve responds:
Tuning harmonicas is not an exact science, in fact it can be a very confusing area to deal with. Playing every note at its highest possible pitch when tuning minimizes potential confusion. I do this by breathing (as Joe Spiers wisely recommends) softly from the diaphragm and often also allow a little air to pass between my lips and the instrument in order to minimize the pressure difference between inside and outside. You need to relax and also learn to listen closely to the sounding pitch of the reed so you can hear if it's resonating at its highest possible frequency, or if there's still some headroom because you're bending it down. I tune without covers as it's more convenient and haven't really noticed any major variance between tuning values with and without covers when breathing in this way. 

The reason for doing it like this: 
The highest pitch which the reed can produce is the only constant available. Any pitch below the highest one possible is basically a bent note, its intonation is dependent on the player. The degree to which reed pitch is unintentionally lowered varies considerably from one person to another. When tuning to any given set of tuning values, the actual result can therefore vary widely if you're not playing the reed at the highest possible pitch. If you're tuning your own harps, you may well be able to achieve the desired result using a higher air pressure and tuning to "playing pitch", but if you're doing it for anyone else, the results may diverge quite a bit from what they want. I use a basic reference tone of A=443Hz when breathing as described above, this generally works out OK when playing with other instruments.

Steve Baker
www.stevebaker.de
www.european-music-workshops.com
www.harmonica-masters.de