It’s better not to tune with the disks engaged while tuning your wires since you are cutting into the pins – the strings are really abrasive and the pins are gripping them pretty strongly. What you can do is tune in flats and when you get to 7th oct. D & C , set your pedals to natural.
It is hard to hear the lower strings. I use the octave above as a reference and then tune the lower string starting out flat, bringing it up to the pitch. If I’ve gone sharp, I bring the string flat again and start over.
If that isn’t working for me, I play a 3 note descending sequence like G, F, E (in flat) and try to match it an octave lower. Sometimes hearing the note in context with others helps.
My Peterson virtual strobe will pick up the lowest strings when I use the suction cup pick up that came with mine. Since it doesn’t stick to the harp very long before falling off, I found I could get good contact by placing the pick up between the floor and the base of the harp in the area between the 2 back feet. My rug works well in holding it in place. I don’t often tilt the harp back to get to the lowest strings, so don’t know how that would effect the contact point.
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