[Harp-L] A=440 was Original Hohner Pro Harp/painted covers



This has been a fascinating discussion so far. A respectful and heartfelt "thank you" to all of those who have attempted to answer my question so far both privately and on list. My next question is WHY does the pitch tend to drop on a harp? Is it because of the water vapor in one's breath? Is it anything along the same lines as dunking a harp in water and thus changing its pitch (because of the clinging water)? Or does it have something to do with the decrease/increase in air pressure? Or both? (... or neither....)

Ever inquisitive, and appreciative,
Deb

John wrote:
When LOs first came out , i am positive they were tuned to A444 and either 4 or 6 cents sharp, I am a little uncertain about whether it was 4 or 6 cents sharp, but i very clearly recall the A444 tuning. I don't know what they are tuned to now, but back in the 80s, it was A444 and at least 4 cents sharp. And, yeah, it was not possible to sound acceptable with keyboards on a consistent basis, which is why i stopped using them.

Now that i think about it, the promo material said that the X cents sharp was just above the amount detectible by the human ear and was done for brightness to stand out and cut through. The other day, Iceman said in a post that most people can hear a difference of 3 cents, So, 4 cents was probably what was stated, not 6 cents.

I'm pretty sure Suzuki Hammonds, Promasters and Firebreaths are A442. Harmonicas are typically tuned a little above A440 because the tone flattens a little under breath pressure when playing, even when not specifically bending a note. So, as i understand it, most of us would sound flat performing on a harp tuned to precisely A440. There are others on this list who know more about this than i do.

But the promo material for the original LOs touted A444. i am very confident in my recollection about that.

JP




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