The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #77103 Message #1371746
Posted By: GUEST,Bo in KY
05-Jan-05 - 01:58 AM
Thread Name: 'Biblical' tuning for harp?
Subject: 'Biblical' tuning for harp?
I received a King David's harp or "Kinnor" for Christmas - roughly a figure-8 shaped instrument, open at top and enclosed wooden sound box (with small sound-hole) at bottom, with 10 strings running vertically across the 8. It has a wonderful (if quiet) sound, and I have just begun plunking around on it. Question is - how to tune the thing?
After casting around the internet for awhile, I stumbled across a few tunings, and reference to a "Biblical" 10-note scale. Anybody know which notes might have been included in the harps/psalterys mentioned in the Psalms? Obviously they were not notated in a Western manner, but I'm sure some historians have pieced together an idea of the scale from existing ancient Middle Eastern tunes, etc.
Any leads?