bass tuning

[Richard Moody]

>In tuning the bass, which are the best partials to listen to? <

The coincident ones. ; )  I perfer the concept of listening to intervals
after all that is what is being tuned.  It is automatic what partials are
being heard (more prominant)  to according to what interval is being
played.    

Reblitz is the best for written instructions.  Bass really comes from
experience. There are many phenomenon that hard are describe but you
finally have to "catch the sound"  Tuning for instance by octaves a
beatless sound will  emerge.  Checking it with the 12th, double octave,
and 2x ocvave + a fifth usually produces one or more of those interavls
"beating".  Thus correcting the 12th say, then the double octave may beat.
When splitting this difference sometimes one is surprised by a better
beatless sound in both the octave and double octave. All of a sudden it is
there, you have to "catch" it.(ie stop tuning) (now you have to make sure
the pin is set) The 10ths and octave-tenths serve as a guide as to the
note being tuned is going sharper or flatter and how much. OR if the
octave in between is indeed true. After a while the ears become "full of
it" so it is time to take a break or listen to the treble. 

	The whole bass should be "roughed in" by octaves first.  Then playing
octaves down chromaticaly listen to discrepancies. Then check it by tenths
so see if discrepancies there match what you hear in the octaves. Tweek
those by octaves to see if it can be gotten better, also checking or
tuning to the fifth. Once the bass is roughed in, testing by intervals can
proceed.  
	Experience is where the bass can be roughed in by octaves only, (checked
with above tests) and the tuning will satisfy most musicians ear. It is
upon testing using the fifth, octave, twelth, double octave, double octave
+ fifth, how musical the instrument will (can) sound. All of these
intervals must produce a pleasing tone, (tonality, intonation perhaps).
This is accomplished by "tuning out the beats" as opposed to tuning to the
beats as in thirds sixths and tenths. The objective is to be on  the wide
side of pure in octaves, (by listening to tenths) and the narrow side of
pure in the fifths.  This is done by going almost beatless thus "tuning
out the beats". 
	 Start by listening to the twelths chromaticaly descending. Then listen
to the twelth in the double octave descending. Then the octave LH and an
octave with the twelth as a root note in the  RH. Compare this to octaves
in each hand an octave apart descending. You will rarely get them
beatless, or "equal"  You may get for example a fifth and octave and
twelth good, but then the double octave beats, or your tenth is slow, to
the octave-tenth. This is because of inharmonicity (para?) straying from
theoretical.  You want these intervals balanced, even, or equal sounding
as possible. You can hear this by playing  octaves in the left hand and in
the right hand  octaves a fifth above.  Then add the root note to the RH
oct.and listen to the difference with and without.  Since this produces
all of these tones you are trying "get in tune", that is a good final
test. Another is playing octaves in RH and LH an octave apart and adding
the fifth in the right hand. Remember that all of these intervals beat so
slowly you will hear a "tonality" emerging before you can count them.  If
you can count the beats something is wrong, hopefully it is in the scaling
not in your tuning. Of course experience once again is needed to determine
this.
	Reblitz suggestion is helpful. "For the last octave in the bass, tune to
two octaves and a third, and two octaves and a fifth, setting the note
between the places where either beat stops."  How one does this without
sostenuto is beyond me, my hand does not stretch two octaves and a third.
; ) 
	Since you have a SAT, (most ETDs)(properly set up)  you should be able to
compare your tunings with an accepted standard. Tune a note in the bass by
ear, using all the checks, and then see what the it says.  If you re-tune
it to the ETD, listen to the checks once again, see what you like best.
Tune one string by ear and one string to the machine. If you have a good
unison that is a good indication.  If the unison is off, listen to the
checks and see which comes closest. Even with a needle Korg I was able to
"see" "mistakes". Its funny how when you are struggling with a note in the
deep bass and you look at the machine and it says "on" the checks suddenly
sound much better. 
	Needless to say tuning lessons with accomplished tuners are vital.
Fortunatly you don't need nearly as many as piano lessons to become good.
If you want to tune different temperaments it is probably better to decide
from the beginning which one you want to become proficient in.  Use the
other temps as learning experiences or exercises to improve "main" one. 
Its much akin to learning to play a modern instrument, before approaching
the historical instrument. 

Richard Moody 
	


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From: John M. Formsma <jformsma@dixie-net.com>
To: PianoTech <pianotech@ptg.org>
Subject: bass tuning
Date: Saturday, May 29, 1999 8:33 PM

Dear List,

I have a general topic, but have some specific questions also if anyone
can
help.

In tuning the bass, which are the best partials to listen to? 

John Formsma