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Author Topic: Drying out very wet box  (Read 1852 times)

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mselic

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Drying out very wet box
« on: April 24, 2017, 02:34:18 PM »

If a two voice box is tuned with one set of reeds +25 cents (which I'm assuming is a *lot* of tremolo), is it realistic to expect that you could retune that to be quite dry (say, maybe something sounding like 2 bps?)
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Anahata

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2017, 02:41:17 PM »

Yes: it's generally OK to adjust the tuning up or down a whole semitone or more on reeds that haven't previously been retuned, so 25 cents (= 25% of 1 semitone) is not a problem.
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tirpous

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2017, 06:23:38 PM »

+ 25 cents may or may not be a lot of tremolo (depending on how the other reeds are tuned)...  It's the difference that matters.
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mselic

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2017, 06:41:56 PM »

+ 25 cents may or may not be a lot of tremolo (depending on how the other reeds are tuned)...  It's the difference that matters.

The tuning in this particular instrument is described as "A440+ 25 cents". Don't know anything beyond that, but how would 25 cents *not* be considered a lot of tremolo?
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Theo

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2017, 06:48:39 PM »

That's what it probably means.  I think what tirpous was driving at was that perhaps the whole box is tuned sharp.  That would be very unusual in a modern box, but possible in an old instrument tuned to an earlier pitch standard.
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Rog

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2017, 07:04:20 AM »

+25 cents is sort of the Hohner factory tuning, and it makes the box sound sharp in relation to the bass, if they are tuned the same as the reference (concert) pitch for that box. I was listening to a recording of Jimmy Shand playing a Double Ray...and that sounds sharp and raw to my ear...a wet tuned Hohner, though it may have been even wetter than 25cents. Which is of course OK, if you like that kind of thing.

george garside

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2017, 09:12:49 AM »

was the Jimmy Shand double ray on a record/cd or youtube vid.

george
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Rog

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2017, 09:38:28 AM »

JShand on a melodeon....To be fair I can't quite see if this is a Double Ray or an Erica...but I assumed it was a DR.
https://youtu.be/OuphefLxUsM
« Last Edit: April 27, 2017, 10:15:39 AM by RogerT »
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triskel

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2017, 10:44:51 AM »

JShand on a melodeon....To be fair I can't quite see if this is a Double Ray or an Erica...but I assumed it was a DR.
https://youtu.be/OuphefLxUsM

No, it's a souped-up Erica in C#/D with (according to George Garside) "Italian reeds and Morino pallets". The tremolo does sound wider than normal for a 2-voice box, and must have been custom-tuned in Scotland for him.

george garside

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2017, 01:24:10 PM »

yes its an Erica tuned and set up by Jimmy jnr

george
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Malcolm Clapp

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2017, 03:08:46 PM »

Ideal tremolo sound for a slow air imho.
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mselic

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #11 on: May 12, 2017, 05:58:20 AM »

Here is a photo of the reeds in the box in question.  The description in the sale states:

Tuning Right Hand: 440 Hz + 25 cents
Tuning Left Hand: 440 Hz + 20 cents

The left hand-side of the box only has two bass buttons (bisonoric chord and bass, standard on most one-rows), so I'm not sure what they are referring to with the tuning being "+20 cents"? Any ideas?

It sounds to me like the box would likely be very wet-tuned.  Does it look like these reeds could withstand a retuning (drying-out)?
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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #12 on: May 12, 2017, 06:42:16 AM »

...  Does it look like these reeds could withstand a retuning (drying-out)?
I've seen a lot worse! I think you could safely flatten those reeds to reduce the tremolo.
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Rog

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Re: Drying out very wet box
« Reply #13 on: May 12, 2017, 07:53:14 AM »

...  Does it look like these reeds could withstand a retuning (drying-out)?
I've seen a lot worse! I think you could safely flatten those reeds to reduce the tremolo.
..also...depending on the accuracy of the tuning it may be that some reed pairs can be dried out by sharpening the flat reed a bit as well as flattening the sharp reed a bit...to narrow the gap, IYSWIM.
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