I have been reading alot about tuning marimbas on this board lately. I really wasn't aware marimbas were tuned often. Is this supposed to happen as a maintence process every so often, or with weather changes, or less frequently? We have a 3 year old 5 octave Marimba One that we move and take out constantly....would it need to be tuned too or does this just apply to older instruments?
Jen
well it really only needs to be tuned if any of the bars come out of tune
Jennifer, Scott is pretty much correct. Marimbas should be tuned when they sound out of tuned. They are not like a piano where they are damaged by being out of tune. BUT, usually when one starts to hear the problem it's worse than it seems because it happens so gradually. Also, if you have a 3 year old MARIMBA ONE, it is probably a little off, especially the harmonics. I've know Ron Samuels and John Salazar very well for years and they do excellent work. John and Ron and I talk frequently about tuning and everything else. I think John is the best tuner around --but he think I'm the best--so :>). But, having tuned marimbas for 30 some years, I've found it is easier to tune them when they are not so out..
Someone told me once that they heard if a marimba is tuned properly you will not see the tuning marks..This is absolutely false!! IF the marimba is just a little sharp, like all new Kori's, then it's possible to tune them with almost do visible markings. HOWEVER, if an instrument is more than maybe 15-20 cents sharp or especially more than 10-15 cents flat you WILL see the marks. There is just no way to avoid it.. and if the transverse harmonics in the F4-A#4 range are off you WILL see the marks...well, usually-it depends..like everything else :>)
While I get many new instruments to tune that are within this range (sharp or flat, that is), many of them are much older, such as old Deagans and Leedys which are usually very flat. There is no way to bring these up to pitch or correct the harmonics without it being visible. On a 70 year old Deagan #870 xylo, for instance, that is, say, 25 cents flat, you will see wood removal, especially if it is pre-1925 and the harmonics were not originally tuned. etc etc etc.....where to stop..
So as far as your marimba...how does it sound by itself and, especially, when playing with other instruments?
Bill Youhass
