How To Lower Pitch in Draw Hole 3 (Harp Tuning)

[zglouz]

Do you adjusting temperament on harmonica and which are the values​of notes?

[saavedra29]

Hello HakaEhn. I have a D harp and like to tune it to Db or D#. Is it possible, or i have to take to much material from the reeds that can't be done?

And if it's possible (as i don't care which of the two pitches to select) is it easier to lower or to higher the pitch? I mean is it safer to remove material from the edge of the reeds or from the base?

[HakanEhn]

@saavedra29

I don't know but are you really going to adjust all reeds on the harp? Why don't you buy a Db harp?

[saavedra29]

@HakanEhn This D harp was cheap and I was not intending to use it as it sounded awful. So i bought a good D harp and tuned the other to Eb. I tuned it on the marine band way, and it works fairly well. It's a rare key i will few times use. Thanks for the reply! And for your nice harmonica videos!

[thomasco91]

Did you pitch it a half step lower ?

[happynuts]

its an irreversible change made if you scratch off bits of the flap like that right?

[qazqwe57]

Ett tips (som du kanske redan känner till): lägg lite nagellack längst ut på tungan (på munspelet!) så kan du finjustera det, ta bort lägga till etc innan det stelnat helt och hitta önskad tonhöjd. (Går även efteråt förstås.) Klart enklare sedan om man vill stämma tillbaka till ursprungsnivån.

[BestDrajwa]

Damn! It works!!! :D I've got b-scale at last! :D

[zifirblues]

Great video thanks. This process does not completely turn the harp into a natural minor harp since some reeds retain still diatonic. So, I was wondering the reason for doing this rather than playing a natural minor harp.

[HakanEhn]

@zifirblues

When I bought a natural minor harp the first time I really liked it and I still do. But sometimes I feel it could be too minor. And when I also adjusted the harp according to the video "How To Raise Pitch in Draw Hole 6" then I found it easier to play rock classics like "Smoke On The Water". But of course the harp could be tuned anyway you want it, depending on what you want to play.

[NachoPills]

Es una Hotmetal?

[LosBerkos]

Hahahaha

[zardozica]

Does this change the 123D chord in any way?

Also, do you miss having the 3 natural note in any way if you are playing the blues?

[HakanEhn]

@zardozica

Yes i´ts a very minor sound in the 123D chord.

And yes again I can miss the 3 natural note, but I do this to explore other sounds that my standard harp. I have only adjusted two harps like this but I like the sound.

[werkis2]

Well im going to buy new reeds for my Lee Oskar C major, so i think i can try to do experments with all kind tunings but i think i will use a SEYDEL-MelodyRecorder , i have no good musical hearing, but sydel recorder will show what note my tuned reed gives out and with sydel tab tool can convert to tabs .

[HakanEhn]

ok I have never tried that kind of equipment, maybe I should try this one

[werkis2]

Well sydel have good software and harmonicas to and this software are freeware search in google for SEYDEL-TabSuite

first search result with -> seydel 1847 de

wrote down becue cant post links in coments

[shortharp]

much more simple to but extra weight on the end and slowly take it off to get the pich correct

[Ejaymistioup]

Operation successfull

thank you hakan

i'm not sure to have lowered enough the 3, i'll see...

[HakanEhn]

good!

[Ejaymistioup]

Hello, one question :

Does the maximum alteration of the hole 3 on your modified A harp have the same note as 2 draw and 3 blow ?

[HakanEhn]

i don´t understand what you mean by "maximum alteration". It should sound like the note at 5:38-5:39 (the highest of the three notes. And the adjusted 3 draw will have a half step lower pitch

[Ejaymistioup]

Ok I try again ;-)

you can make 4 notes drawing in hole 3.

i speak of the lowest one, by "maximum alteration"

if i understand well, with a half step lower pitch, that lowest one note should be the same as 2 draw and 3 blow.

right ?

can you make 3 times the same note, doing 2 draw, 3 blow and "3-draw-max-alteration" ?

a bit complicated, 'cause of my english...

[HakanEhn]

OK now I understand!

Interesting, I haver never thought of that: The lowest bend note in draw hole 3 is not affected. I just compared one adjusted harp with a standard tuning. And the lowest 3 draw bend is the same for both. So the difference seems to be that the maximum alteration in 3 draw is reduced for the adjusted harp. And that means the lowest note is not the same as 2 draw/3 blow.

[Ejaymistioup]

Ok well.

but that causes another psychological problem to me ! :p

on standard harp, hole 3 draw, you can make 4 notes, each separed of 1/2 pitch (2 pitch total)

according to your answer, it would mean that on modified harp, you have only one and half pitch in 4 notes (higher is lowered of half a pitch, lower does not change)

does it mean that you have one alteration less, so 3 notes, or that quarter of pitches appeared ?

I can't verify myself yet, 'cause my modified is not lowered enough.

[HakanEhn]

Hohner Marine Band with Natural Tuning has also this tuning in draw hole three but it also has other adjusted holes that I don´t to have adjusted sometimes when I play certain things. That is why I sometimes want to play with this

[HakanEhn]

Sorry it should be Natural Minor tuning (not Natural tuning)

[mottag8830]

great camera/lighting, thanks

[wheelharp]

I think this is better to use soldering-iron for this operation.

[shortharp]

Put weight on the tip

[HakanEhn]

Sounds interesting. How?

[thebladesman]

some guys use a little dab of solder

[SianReynolds]

I"m confused. Why do you have to tune that note down. Can't you just bend down to that note?

[HakanEhn]

Yes of course. But I liked the sound I could produce on Lee Oskar Natural Minor, especially draw chord hole 3-4 or draw shake hole 3-4. That goes very well to slow blues I think. However Natural Minor does not only have draw hole three with lowered pitch, but also other holes that I sometimes don´t want to have adjusted. And the draw chord 3-4 and draw shake 3-4 I can´t play with a standard harp.

[Comonknowledge]

Hello again Hakan, What do you use as a referance to get the -3 and +6 tuned on an A harp? Thanks!

[HakanEhn]

For the -3 I don´t remember having any reference. For +6 I listended to the harp solo in "On The Road Again" with Canned Heat. So for the -3 I probably played along this song also and tried to hear if it was OK.

[andreinnorway]

Hi Hakan, nice of you to show these things:) But a piece of advice, avoid filing like you did on this one because it creates more stress points on the reed than "necessary", thus, it will shorten it´s durability. This region of the reed is really critical, if it was on the tip, to raise the pitch, that would be ok...

You can see that in every stock harp the filing is done transversally, so that you distribute better those stress points and alleviate the pressure a bit.

[HakanEhn]

Ah, yes I understand. Thanks for your advice!

Håkan

[betorabelo]

THANKS FOR POSTING THIS!!!

[cravenmoorrrrrrrrr]

This is funny, so i just did the 3 reed, and thinkin i'm a clever bugger with this old A harp i thought why not do the 6 hole as it aint soundin to good, (i have suzuki's as my real harps)..anyway the reed fell off the mounting support thing...lol...bummer, on the road agin was starting to sound pretty cool..oh well another day......

[HakanEhn]

Yes, that happens to me also. Good to hear you use old harps and not your suzuki

[cravenmoorrrrrrrrr]

Cool, just done it a special 20.

[HakanEhn]

Good!

[scootersalih]

mhh, why you dont use a tuner or something?

[HakanEhn]

I didn´t need that, but maybe I should try it.

[airmojo]

How far are you lowering the pitch of the 3 draw ? 1/2 step, 1 full step, 1 1/2 steps ?

3 draw on A harp is G#... are you altering to G (1/2 step), F# (1 full step), or F (1 1/2 steps) ?

Or further than 1 1/2 steps ?

Thanks! I'll try it, but I want to know what note I'm trying to get.

[HakanEhn]

Maybe I wasn´t too clear, but i lower the pitch 1/2 step and in the video i found the sound I wanted at 7.30-7.40, I play three notes repeatedly and it´s the last note of the three. It should have that nice minor sound like that at 7.58 when you play in the lower register. Good luck and tell me if it works or not.

[jsilvatx]

no it just wont draw it stop flat it allows blow botes on the 4 just not a draw i raised it.

then filed but cant get to free up

[HakanEhn]

Maybe the gap (offset) between the draw reed and the draw reed plate (bottom plate) is too big OR too small. Compare the reed gap in draw hole 4 with the gap for the other nine draw reeds and try to adjust to the same level for draw hole 4. Good luck, let me know if it worked.

[jsilvatx]

lol i damaged my first one! its a hohner old standy i cant get the 4 to draw right!?????

[HakanEhn]

In what way is it damaged? Is the reed broken?

[geiston]

Thank you for yours advices I'll try on a old G Marine Band.

Thank again for your answer