[Harp-L] Re: Embouchure for tuning

[Lasse Høi <hoeilasse@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks guys, it makes a lot of sense and confirms my initial assumptions.

Another question: Do you do anything in particular to make the reeds
settle between filing and readings? Because it seems that a reed that
was tuned up will rise a little more after some playing time.

My ideas are:
- Simply playing a long note on the newly tuned reed
- Wide blow/draw chords in rapid patterns for 10 seconds or more
- Bending each hole a couple of times
- Temperature cycling, e.g. heating it up to about 65 or ? degress
Celsius (65 C is what i use in my ultrasonic cleaner)

2013/5/20 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
>
>
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