I left you on the previous Page at Step 8, where you had just completed tuning the F string. At this point you'll be tuning three flat notes: Bb, Eb, and Ab. Notice that by doing so, you'll be able to play in the keys of F, Bb, and Eb. The advantage to this system of tuning is that you can play in three more keys than you can in the C tuning. This is handy when working with vocalists. I find that F is a very common key in church music, and that often, if I transpose up to G or down to E, the range is not ideal. However, the keys of F, Bb, and Eb, are almost never used in Celtic instrumental music, and in order to play in the more traditional keys (e.g. C, G, D, and relative minors), you must set your B, E, and A levers at all times. Therefore if you play in the key of G major, you must have four levers set, and D major, 5 levers set.
As I discuss the two systems you'll see my bias (I really prefer the C tuning.) There's one other reason I like the C tuning: In it you can make an exciting special effect by deploying the B or E levers, thus putting them at the same pitch as the C and F strings. By doing so, you can create a glistening repeated note effect by playing the two adjacent strings quickly back and forth. This is something you can't do with a pedal harp, and you can accomplish it in the Eb tuning, but I feel it doesn't work as well. You can sharp (with the levers) your G and D to use with your already tuned Ab and Eb, but here again you're working with two levered notes, which can be more problematic as far as intonation is concerned. However, as I said, a great many harpists choose the Eb tuning, so it's a matter of personal preference.
STEP 9.Now it's time to find the Bb. Here is another advantage to the Eb tuning that's not in the C tuning. You simply extend the same procedure through Step 8, onto the rest of the temperament. You will be doing exactly what I do when I tune a piano (up to a certain point). If you are still unsure of you tuning through Step 8, go back and practice it some more. It is at this point that your tempered tuning must be really on the mark. The more flats you come to, the worse it sounds if you've made errors. The first time I tried to tune my piano I nearly passed out when I played an F# major chord; it is the flat and sharp keys that determine whether you know how to tune or not.
You already know the system, simply tune the F a perfect 4th up to a Bb. Then tune that Bb to the Bb an octave below. Then compare both to the F. At this point, you have a major third between the Bb and the D above it, another check.
STEP 10. Tune the completed Bb string (upper) to the Eb below it. Perform the same procedure and then compare each Eb to the Bb string in the middle, and to the G strings above each Eb (another major third check). At this point, check your levers (and hope that they are regulated properly). Put the Bb and Eb levers on, thus creating B and E naturals. Do those strings sound in tune with the other notes of the C scale? If your levers are slightly off you may have to compromise here.
STEP 11. Congratulations! You're down to the last string of the temperament. Set the Ab strings in the same way you did the previous two, and then check the Ab levers. Notice that you can perform the major third check from E to Ab; even though E and Ab are not technically a major third apart, they are enharmonically the same.
STEP 12. You've now tuned two octaves and set a temperament, and all that is left is to tune the remaining notes in octaves from the strings you've already tuned. Here's a good way to do this:
Please email me and tell me how things are going. I wish you well in your Celtic harp playing, as well as your tuning.