Tuning Chiming Rods?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:43 am     Post subject: Tuning Chiming Rods?

Hi
I have a Mauthe wall clock with chiming rods. It plays Westminster chimes plus a three-hammered gong on the hour.

It sounds great except I feel the third hammer (one not used during the Westminster melody) may be slightly out of tune. When I manually tap it and quickly follow it with a tap on one other rod of similar length (about 3mm difference), the note is different by a minimal fraction - not enough to be a whole note different.

All the rods enter a metal block. On the other side of the block are fat philips head screws that I assume are used for adjusting the rod length to get it in tune. Could someone confirm that?

My main reason for posting this, though, is to find out what musical note each of the rods should be (C, F, G, etc?) I tapped one gently and got a reading on my guitar tuner of slightly higher than C#. If I know what they should be, I can sit down and tune them very nicely.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Mark.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:16 am     Post subject:

The screws at the top are just threaded portions of the rods to remove and replace them. They don't change the length of the vibrating part so they don't change the note. This can only be changed by removing the rod(s) and grinding the length. Of course you can only raise the pitch this way, not lower it. If you do go this route, be very careful handling the rods. They are necked down right below the thread and are very prone to breakage in that area. In fact, I just may vote the chime rods "mostly likely part of a clock to break".

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:35 pm     Post subject: Chime rods

Having had to deal with chimes that had been "tampered" with by some well meaning but totally misinformed person, I would say leave them alone. In trying to replace and tune one rod in the set it became necessary to replace the entire chime block since it was impossible to tune the replacement rod to complete the proper melody. It's impossible to find a replacement rod even from the same manufacturer that will sound exactly the same.

The chord struck on the hour on several rods simultaneously may not sound all that different when "tapped" individually, but the manufacturer probably intended it to be so.

The notes struck will vary from clock to clock since no two sets of chimes are tuned exactly alike. Having rooms full of clocks all chiming Westminster (and other chime melodies) I can vouch for that fact.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 2:04 pm     Post subject:

The four pitches played in the Westminster tune are not specific notes as we know them in music. Some westminster chimes are in the key of C major, but I have had some in other keys, also. The relationship of the pitches is the important thing. The lowest pitch (longest rod) is the fifth note of the particular major scale the rods are tuned to. The second longest rod is the tonic note of the major scale. If the rods are tuned in the key of C major, the second longest rod is the note C. the shortest rod is the note E, and the one next to it is the note E, leaving the longest rod, which is G. If the second longest rod is D, for instance, the others are E, F#, and A. Check your second longest rod on your your guitar tuner, and go from there. As far as the other rod that seems to be out of tune, I have found that removing rods from the block is not a good idea unless absoutely necessary. If the pitch of that rod drives you crazy, Grind the end of it off with a Roto-tool grinder while it is still mounted in the block. It will get higher in pitch as you grind it. When it reaches a pitch that harmonizes with the other rods, STOP GRINDING.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:08 pm     Post subject:

Just as an aside, the most famous clock in the world chiming the Westminster melody is "Big Ben" in the Houses of Parliament in London England. At least one of the notes is flat, but no one seems to mind and should anyone even hint that the bells should be recast to correct it there would be a tremendous public outcry.

There are any number of tower clocks that have chimes that are out of tune. It seems that public clocks are allowed to get away with it.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:14 pm     Post subject:

i have heard the same thing about Big Ben and others being out of tune. A representative from a carillon company claims that those bells are not out of tune, but the overtones which remain ringing after each bell rings cause the bell that rings after it to sound flat to the human ear. True cast-iron bells are supposed to have long-lasting overtone features which are supposed to trick the human ear. What do you think?

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:41 pm     Post subject: Thankyou

Thanks to you all for your replies. I had to laugh. I was expecting an email when someone replied to my questions, but I didn't receive any. So I eventually went to the site to find heaps!

The problem has been solved. I studied the hammer mechanism for a while and realized that the last hammer (the one used only for the hourly chime) was resting much closer to it's rod than the others were to theirs. I spoke to to local clockmakers on the phone & they said to give the hammer arm just a tiny "bend" upwards to give more clearance so the chime can ring out & not be deadedned by the hammer touching it.

Bending it gave me the shivers but very delicately did it - giving about an extra 1mm of clearance. It now sounds excellent! It appears it wasn't so much out of tune as just had one note muffled.

Thanks again for all your help.

Mark.