[Harp-L] using pitch pipe to match bent notes

[Laurent Vigouroux]

Hi Phil

Good points, but in my opinion probably a bit too optimistic, though 😊
First, from what Jérôme Peyrelevade told me when he studied a bunch of Hohner harps in terms of tuning, factory harps are apparently far from being well tuned. If confirmed, it would make this Just Vs Equal temperament advertisement a bit … fake.

Secondly I would say that not only most harmonica players probably don’t know about temperament but they also probably don’t ear the difference in temperaments. A whole bunch of them, even some pro, actually really play out of tune (often more than 25 cents).
And for players who ear the difference, they would probably automatically adapt their tongue position accordingly.


De : Harp-L <harp-l-bounces at xxxxx> de la part de philharpn--- via Harp-L <harp-l at xxxxx>
Date : dimanche, 24 octobre 2021 à 14:24
À : harp-l at xxxxx <harp-l at xxxxx>
Objet : [Harp-L] using pitch pipe to match bent notes
The premise is faulty here.
For openers there are two tunings for most western music harmonicas: Just intonation and Equal Temperament. I don't know what tuning is used for pitch pipes  but they are probably Just tuned because singers use them.
Pianos -- acoustic and electronic -- are tuned in what is called Equal Temperament, which means the scale is divided into 12 equal parts so that a song played in any of the 12 keys on the piano sounds equally out of tune or in tune regardless of what key is played.
I would say 110 percent of harmonica players do not know about the two tuning systems. Adding to the confusion,  today's Just intonation harmonicas for the most part are no long Pure Just intonation but modified (sweetened) so they sound better.
I could be wrong here, but for the first 100 years of harmonica building all harmonicas used Just tuning (think: Marine Band etc.).
Then somebody got the bright idea of tuning harmonicas in Equal Temperament so they sounded better with pianos. Otherwise, you gets Just Tuned harmonica playing against a Equal Temperament piano or guitar and the intonation is off.
Just Tuning is not wrong; it's just different. Think Barbershop Quartets.
The problem here is today's chromatic tuners (used to tune guitars, ukes and other string instruments) are set up with the Equal Temperament.
The Lee Oskar and Golden Melody are tuned equal temperament. There are other ET harps but I can't remember them off the top of my head. Chromatic harmonicas are mostly Equal Temperament. Toots was right.
If I was just starting out, I would use an electronic piano for reference point for bent notes. They never go out of tune and they sustain the bent note as long you hold key down. No guessing, want a Db, draw bend Hole 1 (eee--ow) like a reverse (inhale) whistle. If you can whistle different pitches, you can bend notes. The only difference most people whistle on the exhale--and bending is mostly (except top end) done on the inhale.
On a C harmonica, play a C scale in the first octave to get the bent F and A needed to complete the scale.

Sorry I didn't have time to write shorter.
Phil