A Cyber ears digression

[Richard Brekne]

Hi list.

Just got through my first reading of a few patents about bass strings,
tuning devices, longitudinal modes etc. A particular interesting point
popped up in the reading.

There is patented an approach for making bass strings by Dr. Sanderson
(1997) which aims at making said bass strings predictable in terms of
inharmonicity. Amoung the declared purposes was the desire to make
inharmonicity more conformant to the inharmonicity curve the Acutuner
(or presumeably and tuning device) determines.

I found this interesting both in the light of the recent discussion on
para inharmonicity, and from a more philosophical point of view. On the
one hand predictable inharmonicity would seem to be a big plus. On the
other hand... let me put it this way.. the machine didnt quite fit the
piano, so lets make the piano fit the machine.

Richard Brekne