Re: [Harp-L] Re: Embouchure for tuning

[Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Letting air through the nose is a good lurk too.
RD

On 20 May 2013 22:24, Lasse HÃi <hoeilasse@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
>



-- 
Rick Dempster
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