[Harp-L] How far can you tune up a reed?

[Robert Hale]

a double-thick tab on the free end can take more scraping/filing than a
single-thickness tip.
Draw 5 is mid-harp, likely a single-thickness reed.

Start lightly and test for pitch often. It may take quite a bit to raise
the 1/2 step you want.
Use a sharp scraper, and a shim under the reed. I scrape the last 1/5th of
the tip for best results.
Scrape evenly over a wide area of most of the width of the reed. Don't let
it get thinner in one spot.

LEARNER'S CAUTION: Don't hurry and get overconfident. Easy to catch the tip
of the reed on your next upstroke, bending the reed badly.

   1. Scrape down toward tip.
   2. Lift tool
   3. Scrape again.

ALTERNATE SOLUTION
swap reed with one of the pitch you want.

Robert Hale
Serious Honkage in Arizona
youtube.com/DUKEofWAIL
DUKEofWAIL.com



On Fri, Mar 10, 2017 at 6:20 PM, Bob Marsolais <bob at xxxxx> wrote:

> I have a couple of duplicate harps in the major tuning.  I'd like to try my
> hand at retuning one of them to Country Tuning which means raising hole 5
> draw by a semitone.  Having never tuned a harp before, how far up can you
> retune a reed?
>
> Thanks, Bob
>
>