Q: When I tune my pedal harp, shall I leave the pedals on flat position, or shall I put the pedals in natural position?
A: You should leave the pedals in flat position when you are tuning your harp. Never put tbe pedals on natural position
The regulators normally tune a string with the pedal on flat position. After the flat position is in tune, then the natural and the sharp positions will be regulated in tune by adjusting the natural or sharp disk. So if you tune your strings at flat position, the natural and sharp will be in tune as you are following the same procedure as the regulator.
If yu tune your string with the pedal at natural position, the flat and the sharp will tend to be sharp.
Q: If the tuning pin is too loose or too tight, how shoulld I do?
A: If the tuning pin is too loose, it will not hold the pitch. You can loose the string, and push the pin into the frame with some force, and then tune the string again. Don't push too hard as it will make the tuning harder.
Q: The string is making noise, what should I do?
A: Check if the natural and/or the sharp disk is too loose. With the pedal at the flat position, hold one of the two legs on the disk and pull and push it to see if the disk is moving towards or away from the frame. If so, tighten the screw of this disk (which is on the other side of the frame) to make the disk not move towards or away from the frrame too much. Don't tighten the screw to tight, as it will slow the movement of the pedal. The pedal should jump at the position instead of moving slowly from one position to another.
Q: What is the properties of gut strings as compared to nylon strings?
A: The gut strings are stiff and will make sweet sound with many overtones. The nylon strings are more flexible and sound thinner. The gut strings are easier to break while the mylon strings is less possible to break.
Q: Wiil the gut strings be regulated the same way as the nylon strings?
A: No, they are regulated differently. If your harp is regulated with gut strings, and later you replace the gut strings with the nylon strings, the harp needs to be regulated again after the change of strings. Otherwise, the sound will not in tune.
