Q: What is the correct amount of slack to leave when changing nylon, gut, or bass wire strings?

Steve Moss, harp technician and author of the Harp Care with Steve Moss DVD; West Lafayette, Ind.

Steve Moss, harp technician and author of the Harp Care with Steve Moss DVD; West Lafayette, Ind.

On bass wire strings, the goal is to coil the wire three times around the tuning pin when the string is at pitch. The way I approach it is to make sure the tuning pin hole is pointing straight up and down, pull the string up through the hole until it is tight, and then let it back down about two inches (five centimeters). If you were to pull the middle of the string to the left as if you were going to shoot a bow and arrow, it would reach down about a ninth (nine strings).

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For a gut string, slightly less slack is needed, as the string will stretch when it is tuned. In practice, I recommend that you have enough slack to reach about six strings down using the “bow and arrow” method.

For a nylon string, you want to leave as little slack as possible, since nylon strings stretch quite a bit as they are tuned. Leaving too much slack will result in a string that is wound too many times around the tuning pin when it is up to pitch. In practice, I leave just enough slack to let me control the string as I wind it around the pin. —Steve Moss

Sharon Thormahlen, co-owner of Thormahlen Harps and has strung more than 1,200 lever harps; Corvallis, Ore.

Sharon Thormahlen, co-owner of Thormahlen Harps and has strung more than 1,200 lever harps; Corvallis, Ore.

On a lever harp, you should have a minimum of two windings on the tuning pin, which is between one to two inches of extra string depending on the string gauge and string material (nylon, gut, or fluorocarbon). The thinner the string, the more windings you’ll want on the tuning pin so it can reach that spot where it is straight up and down to the bridge pin or have a slight angle going from the bridge pin towards the harp neck to the tuning pin.

The thicker the string, the fewer windings you’ll need, as each winding takes up more space on the tuning pin. You can also spread the windings out if your string is not long enough for the number of windings you need.

As the string tunes up and stretches, the number of windings will increase, particularly on the lower fluorocarbon or gut strings. After the string begins to consistently hold pitch (which may take two to three days if you tune it at least two or three times per day), you may have more windings than you want. In that case, you’ll unwind the string and trim about one-half inch before rewinding.

For bass wires, put your string through the hole in the back of your harp, bring it up through the tuning pin, and cut it off at about two inches above the tuning pin. Then push the string back to the hole leaving 1/16 inch sticking out of the tuning pin hole. No need for a half hitch used on the nylon, gut, and fluorocarbon strings. Begin winding the string keeping the windings close together until the string is taut. This method will keep sharp edges of the string from tearing your harp case or causing any scratches on you. —Sharon Thormahlen

Peter Wiley, freelance harp regulator, known as the Harp Doc, formerly a master regulator for Lyon & Healy; Albuquerque, N.M.

Peter Wiley, freelance harp regulator, known as the Harp Doc, formerly a master regulator for Lyon & Healy; Albuquerque, N.M.

Yesterday I saw a harp that had several strings with the improper number of windings or wraps of string on the tuning pins.

It is important to have the correct amount of winding of string on your tuning pin. In most situations the correct number of windings is between two and four. Keep this in mind as a general rule. If your string does not have at least two windings you receive a failing grade. On the other end of the spectrum if you have so many windings that the string has wound up to the wood you fail as well.

So how do we get the number of windings correct?

Remember wire strings do not stretch as they are, after all, metal. You need to purposefully introduce slack for the windings. One circumference of a tuning pin is roughly one inch. Pull the new wire up through the tuning pin until it is a little tight. Measure up from the tuning pin about three inches (that will be about three windings). Pinch the string at that point and push the string back down through the tuning pin and bend it at that pinch point. Proceed with to tuning the string up. Voilà! You will have about three windings. Note that on the seventh-octave wires you really only want two windings. If you have more, the pin may become really tight and hard to turn.

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As an alternative, if you do not feel comfortable with this method, you can try pulling the string up straight, then pinch the string about in the middle. Pull the string back 10 strings. Now pinch the string at the top of the tuning pin and bend it. This sets the correct amount of slack. A wire string with less than two windings will surely break too soon.

With gut and nylon strings, since they actually stretch, I usually only give a half-inch of slack. I suggest that you bring the string up to pitch slowly; it is easier on the string’s health. Pulling the pitch up quickly can cause it to stretch unevenly, which can cause the string to break or go false later in its life. —Peter Wiley