In tune?
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 15:15
David,
When playing i often have a tuner in front of me to make sure i am hitting the bent notes correctly. My question is since some of the notes on the harp are tuned + or - a few cents when playing an unbent note what should i be shooting for?
For example if the 2 draw is tuned 4+ cents, is the target on the turner when playing an A harp to hit the E 4 cents sharp or hit the E dead on?
Also, How are Chromatic's tuned? Just intonation? if so i would want to be dead on the note correct?
Thanks for your help!
Mark
Afternoon Mark. We generally don't focus on the pitch of our standard draws and blows unless you have a tendency (like the 2 draw) of unintentionally bending notes and you're using the tuner to see if you're off. When this happens, if you're + - 4 cents you're good. For bends, try to be dead-on, but practically + - 4 cents is fine.
In regards to the chromatic, again, unless you're having problems choking out reeds (stalling or buzzing), you don't need to focus on this. We commonly use tuners for bending practice only. I am not sure about the tuning, though I believe it's Equal Temperament. If you would like to know for sure, ask Winslow.