A-428 Tuning Question

[Howard S. Rosen]

Hi Susan,

The subject of your post, below, is interesting to me. Unfortunately,
however, I was unable to understand your explanation. Sometimes
explanations requiring a long sequence of logical steps are difficult to
put in writing and I am hoping that your typing was not as thorough as your
thinking. If I am wrong, then *I* am the slow one. In any case, would you
care to re-explain this thought process one more time? To date you received
only one negative response to your post so perhaps this is not of interest
to all. A personal response will then be appreciated.

Howard S. Rosen, RPT
Boynton Beach, Florida 
------------- 
> For A=428, knowing that I needed to end up 47.-somthing cents 
> low, I could calculate beat rates: from McFerrin, G#4 = 415.31 Hz. 
> Subtracting from 428, I would get 12.69 beats. Subtracting 428 from 
> A = 440, I would get 12 beats. This is reasonable since what I need 
> is almost exactly 1/4 tone below modern pitch. (Just 3 cents off ...)
> 
> Assuming that a fortepiano brought in for a concert would probably 
> already be at A = 428, the pitch adjustment in the temperament octave 
> would probably be minimal. However, if the pianoforte were found to be 
> at 440, one would have to assume the piano would rebound roughly 1/4 
> of the pitch lowering. I could then try tuning the A# slightly sharp 
> (7 or 8 beats sharp) of 440, setting the temperament from that 
> and seeing what I ended up with. 
> 
> I could check results by testing A# against the A (440) fork, wanting 
> it roughly 13 beats sharp, then testing A against the A fork, wanting 
> it exactly 12 beats flat. While not able to _count_ 12 or 13 beats 
> against a watch, it would be easy enough to see if the A# beat rate 
> (against the 440 fork) was just a trace faster than the A (also 
> against the 440 fork.) Then I could test A against my A = 435 fork, 
> and see if it were 7 beats flat. The A beating against the 435 fork, 
> giving 7 beats, is close to the F-A beat rate memorized for my normal
> temperament, so that wouldn't be too hard to tell with fair accuracy. 
> If it passed all of these, it would certainly be close enough for a 
> solo concert, and probably easily within tolerances for any instruments 
> that might be used.
> 
> Calculating technicians, is this on target or out to lunch? 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Susan
> 
> Susan Kline
> P.O. Box 1651
> Philomath, OR 97370
> skline@proaxis.com
> 
> "By using your intelligence, you can sometimes make your problems twice
as
> complicated."
> 			-- Ashleigh Brilliant
>