Tuning a new Pedal harp arriving after travel

[Alesha Orton]

Hi folks,
My first pedal harp! Woot! Woot!
My questions are:
—What game plan should I have for tuning to minimize damage?
—Would you wait a day or so to turn and play (eek! But I can be strong!)? ——Would you turn it up by half steps each day until in tune or some gradual way? (I think it was tuned down a whole tone or more before travel).
— Or just tune to what it should be and keep tuning daily as it slowly “holds”?
—What else do I need to know?

It’s an L & H Chicago Extended, traveling from New Mexico to Oregon, the weather in between 34 Degrees Fahrenheit and 70 degrees.

My area is humid and usually 70 degrees in my house, it is traveling through arid areas (I don’t know if this info help…)

Thank you!

[billooms]

The L&H folks can tell you their recommended procedure for de-tuning prior to shipment and for bringing it back to pitch. They will also tell you their guidelines for minimum and maximum temperature exposure during shipping (as I recall, they limit shipping temperatures to 32F and 90F).

[Alesha Orton]

It’s already on its way, almost here. Since it’s used, I didn’t think to contact L&H. “Bringing it back to pitch” are the words to use. On it! Thank you.

[Alesha Orton]

I shouldn’t have used the word “new”. Lyon and Healy answered some questions for me about new strings. There might be a mix of old and new strings on this harp. Some concepts to remember: metal strings don’t stretch as much and won’t need to stretch out.

Just in case anyone else searches this, I finally got a hold of my harp teacher who suggested that I tune a half step up and try to “hold it” there the next day by tuning to the same place, and then then up to full and work on holding it there. Taking about 1 week total to get it up to pitch and holding. She didn’t think it necessary to wait a day for humidity. Lyon and Healy suggested 5 hours of the harp getting used to the climate before tuning, and I will honor that.

I searched and found another thread here that talked about disengaging the disks (pedals in flat position) so that you are stretching the whole string, not just the area between the disk and the tuning pin. I will tune to C flat major at pitch and often there are a few very low or very high strings that do not have pedal cable and need to be tuned to C major or what a certain piece might need.

Any other thoughts from anyone on harp care after travel? I’m also wondering about inspecting it to make sure there are no problems.

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