Sören Nyckelharpa and Tuning Systems


 Nyckelharpa built by Sören Åhker and tuning cable

    I had the pleasure of playing some tunes with my friend Saana today, and I noticed how careful she was with tuning her nyckelharpa, using a clip and Korg tuner. I use my phone to tune, and any background noise often interferes with tuning. I asked her about the tuning clip and Korg tuner and she said the Korg tuner she has is no longer made and she was using Baroque tuning. She has studied at ESI (Eric Sahlström Institute) and she mentioned they would spend a long time tuning. 

    Yet here at SibA (Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland), we use equal tempered tuning because oftentimes we play with instruments with fixed tuning (i.e. accordion or harmonium). While the baroque tuning may make the instrument sound better, I wonder, is it sacrificing the ability to play with other musicians and an ensemble? What are your thoughts on tuning systems?

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