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…. that’s exactly correct. It picks up the overtones because any acoustic instrument is not “perfect”, meaning the overtones do not line up. If you tune it “perfect” with a tuner, the harp will sound dull as the overtones don’t line up. Thanks for bringing up this example why the harp should not be tuned totally with a tuner that is not “tempered” or “stretched” for that particular instrument…
I agree… the Accu-tuner is an overkill for the harp. I just would find it interesting if a working accomplished piano technician could tell us how it would work on the harp.
I have no real opinions about the other tuners… but… it you have a smart phone such as an iPhone or one of the others, there are several apps with tuners on them. Tony, do you know what they are called? I remember running across different tuners at the iPhone app store, some were for free and some were a nominal cost….
Hi Kathy,
When I studied piano tuning (31 years ago), I learned the traditional way with a tuning fork and listening to beats with intervals such as 4ths, 5ths, and octaves. I also got in the ground floor with the original Sanderson Accu-Tuner I. Since then, there have been huge advances. Here’s a link to their products.
http://www.accu-tuner.com/productmain.html
It is my opinion that the harp is relatively easy to tune compared to pianos. I think getting the middle two octaves solidly mathematical, then tuning the top and bottom octaves by ear, by octaves, is sufficient. The shorter and thinner the strings are stretches the overtone system sharp, and the longer and thicker the strings are stretches the overtone system flat.
That said, I would love to hear on this forum from someone who currently tunes pianos to experiment with these advanced systems on harps and give us a report back.
OK… that’s all for now.
… it took me about a dozen tunings to get used to the strobe patterns. I have always used a needle or lighting system. At this point, I think the strobe pattern is superior, one reason it lets you know when you have a string that is giving you false patterns, which
…. just commenting on your statement. I just moved from my old home of 30 years…. it had beautiful oak floors that were refinished in 1978. We always had rugs on the floors, including hand-dyed rugs we bought in Morocco. After all those years and incarnations of moving rugs around, we never had any discoloring of the wood, so I wouldn’t worry if I were you (only worry if your wood does not have a finish-sealer)…. just my two cents…
…. just to add, one of the regrets in life I have is selling that harp. I wish I still had it… but, I just sold my big house so I won’t have as much room for harps in my new home now. It was time to downsize, which means less room for harps.
I sold my L&H 23 from the classified section of this site, HARPCOLUMN. Just like selling a house, it needs to be priced correctly (low side) and the condition should reflect the price. It sounds to me since it is just sitting there, it should be like-new condition. That is a good reason why someone would buy your harp and not someone else who plays professionally….
Music, and music played on the harp, is much bigger than any one genre or technique. When I hear the arguments on Grandjany (French) vs. Salzedo, it seems to take on a religious fervor… It kind of reminds me of
Regarding harpists… I think sitting behind the harp may be part of the reason harpists overplay. It’s like listening behind a speaker rather than in front of it. If I’m playing in a loud room, I can’t hear myself, but I have guests come up and tell me the name of every tune I play….
Carl,
Maybe it’s time for you to join Facebook (if you already haven’t opened an account). Meta Joy (Epstein) is one of my favorite “friends”.
I meet her on a cruise ship in 2008…….. She plays wonderfully, and I especially was impressed with her smooth technique and musicality….
