Re: [MMM] Digest Number 1513

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> > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 04:41:23 -0000
> From: "dennygenovese" <dennygenovese@...>
> Subject: Re: Marimba
> > Shaving the ends (making the bar shorter) raises the pitch.
> Shaving the middle (making it thinner) lowers the pitch.
> > Denny
> > Very important -- and especially if you are retuning an existing instrument -- DO NOT shave the ends, instead file or sand under the outer 20% of the bar. Shaving the ends directly will move the nodes, so that the holes may no longer fall on the nodes and the bar will be damped.

If the key is already within a semitone of the desired pitch, do the work by hand and consult a tuner often, allow the bar to cool down after working it, coarse tune with a file (or grinder for metal), fine tune with sandpaper (or emery cloth for metal).

With thin metal bars or plates of aluminum or steel, as in American gamelan or Javanese iron instruments, bending the bar may often be more effective, and tuning can be done with a ball peen hammer over an anvil. With bronze, absolutely DO NOT EVER use a hammer.

DJW