[Harp-L] How much is enough?

[Jef Gat]

...and yet....

On Fri, Aug 9, 2019, 12:56 PM Aongus Mac Cana <amaccana at xxxxx> wrote:

> Thanks for this Joe.
> Rick Epping, at Willie Clancy week, once gave us the tip to plug one ear
> if you want to hear yourself playing in a noisy environment.
> It works alright, but I am always slightly afraid that my next door
> musician may take it as a reflection on his playing and hit me a clatter.
> I am easy to please and quite gratified to occasionally hear that I am
> playing the same tune as everyone else and in the same key.
> Guess I should be happy not to be "cursed with Perfect Pitch"
> Beannachtai
> Aongus Mac Cana
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: JOSEPH LEONE [mailto:3n037 at xxxxx]
> Sent: 09 August 2019 13:56
> To: Aongus Mac Cana; Harp-L List
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] How much is enough?
>
> Ok, it doesn't take a rocket-palientologist to notice when watching an
> Eagles concert to notice that all the pickers have about half a dozen
> guit-fiddles racked up in front of them. So why IS this.
> It's because the hatchets will go dull from chopping that much wood. IOW,
> the boxes are going out of pitch on the very same tune that they are
> playing. Then there is the fiddling with the machine heads. Does one really
> think that turniing the keys back and forth will result in reTURNING to the
> desired pitch?
>
> In my 70 or so years of playing different instruments, with the exception
> of harp, I don't believe I have ever heard a mention of pitch..unless the
> words were something like 'Man that sucks'. With a trumpet you have a
> tuning slide. You don't use it except for effects. Clarinet? they are
> already at the limit and to go any higher in pitch you need an adjustable
> head joint.
>
> Harps are swell. You can do a lot with your mouth. But I can't see how
> anything less than 6 2/3rds cents is going to raise eyebrows. So, I found
> that if I am with a guitar centric band, I am usually a bit flat. Mainly
> because they persist in tuning high and forcing the volume.
>
> With a keyboard centric band, the usual tuning is 440. And anyone who uses
> a dufferent figure than that is asking for a train wreck. It also goes
> without saying..but I'm saying it, that IF you are a soloist pitch isn't as
> critical. But if you are a side man, and do fills, small solo piccolinos,
> and esPECIALLY if you are playing note for note along WITH another
> instrument, you should be ON pitch. I tune to 'Olds-442' and have had no
> problem.
>
> I buy harps. I test them against my ears. Then I may check ONE reed to see
> if I am in the general ball park (withing a few cents). Over time, I will
> tune here and there. After a few tunings, I toss the harp. I play mostly
> chromatic..but also diatonic.
>
> Anyone is invited to view one of my you tubes. Then tell me how bad I
> suck. lolol. Oh, and by the way, I generally trash 2 posts for every one I
> submit. I don't want to come off as some smart ass who has the definitive
> answer to everything.
>
> smokey joe
>
>