Re: [Harp-L] Blu-Tack and Solder WAS: Optimized Blues Tuning

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick Dempster wrote:
>As Vern has stated (if I got it right) pitch is raised by increasing the stiffness of the reed. Blu-tak won't do that, and soft solder will only do it a bit, because it's not very stiff itself.
>Adding or reducing weight at the free tip works to speed up or slow down the vibration of the reed, and reducing metal at the rivet end makes it less stiff.

There's something wrong with the explanation above.  If reducing metal at the rivet end makes the reed less stiff, and raising the pitch requires that stiffness be increased, then why does reducing metal at the rivet end make the pitch go up, which it certainly does?

Perhaps it's the distribution of the weight of the reed, not just its stiffness, that affects pitch?

Thanks, Richard Hunter

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