Re: Ideas for changing a diatonic harp tuning on the fly
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 9:32 am
Good to hear you're home and back on this interesting project, Dom. On a couple of points in your last post:
"I find retuning chromatics much more tedious than retuning diatonics, each model seems to put the slide-in and slide-out reeds in different places. it's nowhere near as easy as a "draw plate" and "blow plate" like diatonics."
Once you know the rules, it's quite easy! The ones that seem initially tricky are the chroms with a criss-cross slider (where the reeds in a scale cross over on both top and bottom reedplates, and the slider holes are accordingly staggered between top and bottom rows). For retuning to an altered scale that repeats after every 4 holes (like Bebop, Diminished, PowerChromatic, any variation on Solo Tuning), this is how to do it:
Start with the top reedplate in hole 1 blow. Get that correct, then count up 4 reeds to the right and retune to the same note an octave higher, then 4 reeds to the right of that. Then start on holes 2, 3 and 4 and do the same: count 4 reeds up and it will be the same note, an octave higher. Then do the draw reeds with the same rule. Then move onto the lower reedplate and use the same rule. It's quick, because you have the pitch of the initial note in your ear, and so you can quickly hear when the higher octave versions of it are coming into tune.
Unfortunately this doesn't work out with tunings that repeat after every 3 holes (eg. Wholetone/Augmented), or ones with variations in each octave (like Richter, PowerBender etc). With them you need to make tuning diagrams and follow them carefully!
"I haven't fully given up on a drawplate turboslide either. After playing with it a bit more I think the stability problem has to do with where the magnets are placed over the reeds. I have more design/rapid prototyping freedom than Jim did, hopefully I can whip something up next week."
Jim did do some initial work on a short drawplate Turboslide, in order to enable magnet bending on the top 4 holes in Richter tuning. However he had the mini Turboslide moving in slots cut in the comb tines UNDER the draw reedplate. But it never came to fruition. No doubt it would be hard to get it airtight...
"I find retuning chromatics much more tedious than retuning diatonics, each model seems to put the slide-in and slide-out reeds in different places. it's nowhere near as easy as a "draw plate" and "blow plate" like diatonics."
Once you know the rules, it's quite easy! The ones that seem initially tricky are the chroms with a criss-cross slider (where the reeds in a scale cross over on both top and bottom reedplates, and the slider holes are accordingly staggered between top and bottom rows). For retuning to an altered scale that repeats after every 4 holes (like Bebop, Diminished, PowerChromatic, any variation on Solo Tuning), this is how to do it:
Start with the top reedplate in hole 1 blow. Get that correct, then count up 4 reeds to the right and retune to the same note an octave higher, then 4 reeds to the right of that. Then start on holes 2, 3 and 4 and do the same: count 4 reeds up and it will be the same note, an octave higher. Then do the draw reeds with the same rule. Then move onto the lower reedplate and use the same rule. It's quick, because you have the pitch of the initial note in your ear, and so you can quickly hear when the higher octave versions of it are coming into tune.
Unfortunately this doesn't work out with tunings that repeat after every 3 holes (eg. Wholetone/Augmented), or ones with variations in each octave (like Richter, PowerBender etc). With them you need to make tuning diagrams and follow them carefully!
"I haven't fully given up on a drawplate turboslide either. After playing with it a bit more I think the stability problem has to do with where the magnets are placed over the reeds. I have more design/rapid prototyping freedom than Jim did, hopefully I can whip something up next week."
Jim did do some initial work on a short drawplate Turboslide, in order to enable magnet bending on the top 4 holes in Richter tuning. However he had the mini Turboslide moving in slots cut in the comb tines UNDER the draw reedplate. But it never came to fruition. No doubt it would be hard to get it airtight...