Re-tuning a Stoney End Eve 22

[mark-glor]

Hello all,

I have recently acquired a used Stoney End Eve in impeccable condition. This is my first harp, and I am still a complete beginner at this instrument – and hence my very ‘beginner’-ish question.

When the harp arrived, I discovered that it had been tuned in Dorian mode (beginning with D at the bottom and ending in D at the top) instead of the standard default tuning (G to G) which Stoney End specifies for this particular model. The key is still C major.
I would like to re-tune the harp so that it would go from G to G (in C major), but I am concerned whether the strings can endure that much stretching without breaking (having never done this before, and not being familiar with how much the harp strings can put up with). I have no information on how long this harp had been sitting around in Dorian mode (maybe even years), and do not know whether it had been previously strung with D to D already in mind.

Hence my very amateur question – but I’d rather err on the side of caution than hasten to do something rash. Would it be safe for the strings to (very carefully!) re-tune the harp G to G (if that much stretching wouldn’t threaten to snap any of them), or would it be safer to leave it as-is (given that I am presently not able to replace any strings should any break)?
I understand that harp strings are very sensitive and capricious no matter what, and can snap when they feel like it, but simply wanted to know whether this kind of re-tuning is something that is/can be done relatively painlessly, or whether the harp is better left alone the way it is for the safety of the strings.

[Angela Biggs]

Hi A.G.,

In its current tuning, are the Cs red and the Fs blue? If so, that particular harp may have been built from D to D. In any case, your best bet is to call Stoney End and ask them. They know their own harps best: they may have records for the harp with your serial number, and if not, they’ll be able to tell you if what you’re asking to do is advisable.

Good luck!
Angela

[Tacye]

Is the low D the one below middle C? Or above? Just checking that you are right to be planning to tune up, rather than down!

If it has been sitting around for years in that tuning the strings are probably old and it may well sound far better with new strings anyway. According to Stoney End’s price list a new set of strings is $30.

You will need to keep a bit of an eye on the tuning pegs – as you tune up they will screw in, and you don’t want them to hit the bottom of their holes.

[Alison]

Dorian mode, isn’t that just in naturals, so starting from a C it’s simply tuned in C major, only your bottom note isn’t exactly a C so it sounds like Dorian mode from anywhere else. Beware of taking it up a fourth, if the soundboard has to take added tension. Dorian theory here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_mode#Modern_Dorian_mode

[Tacye]

I asked Stoney End if I could increase the tension on my Eve and they said ‘yes, lots’. So I did, lots, by putting brass string on it about 6 years ago. Not advice, but the reason I didn’t give the warning Alison has.

[mark-glor]

Thank you very much for the responses.
About the string colors: in the harp’s current tuning, the G strings are red and C strings are blue, which seems to suggest that this tuning was ad hoc rather than constructed this way from the start.

The (current) low D is indeed below middle C. Thank you for the warning about tuning pegs (wasn’t aware they screw in/out when tuning up/down) – they are currently protruding outward somewhat farther than average with the screw-in portions a bit visible, which explains it; looks like there would be plenty of room for them to be screwed further in.

Re: Dorian mode, I may have misapplied the term. Yep, all the notes are naturals and the tuning is in C major, but starting from the bottom string and moving up, the strings go in the order of D E F G A B C D, etc. According to Stoney End Eve official specs, however, the default standard tuning for it should be (starting from the bottom string and going up) G A B C D E F G, etc – which would then follow the color pattern of marking Cs as red strings and Fs as blue strings. This first C (fourth string from the bottom) is then the “middle C.”

Perhaps the most sensible thing would be to have a set of replacement strings already on hand before attempting any ‘harp tuning surgery’, and contacting Stoney End as to whether the soundboard might be at any risk would not be amiss…

[kreig-kitts]

From what you describe, the fourth string from the bottom is red. That would make it a C string, and the lowest string on your harp a G string. The previous owner might have tuned them down so they wouldn’t break while shipping, or if he or she hadn’t tuned it in a very long time perhaps they went flat, or they were just tuning it too low. Just make sure you know what octave they’re supposed to be on that harp, in case they happened to have tuned it too high instead of too low.

[Author]

Posts