A= 440 Fork modification?

[Kent Swafford]

Phil Bondi wrote:

>I received an A=440 fork from a supply house we all know and love..and 
>it's a fine instrument.
>
>It registers on the SATll at 440 and 1 cent.
>
>I do not intend to pull hairs here..rather..I would like to know 
>if..during the Tuning Exam, there is a deduction for this? If I set A4 to 
>this fork and nail it, the SAT will read that A4 is 1c above 440.
>
>I thought I understood that there is a compensation factor built into the 
>test to accomodate such a phenomenon..is that correct?

The tuning of A4 to A=440 constitutes an entire section of the PTG tuning 
exam. When this is scored, the exam piano's A is measured relative to 440 
with no consideration for the accuracy of your pitch source. Your pitch 
source is expected to be accurate.

It is usually recommended that examinees tune their tuning fork (ahead of 
time) to give themselves the best advantage.

However, although there are no "compensation factors" in measuring your A 
for the pitch section of the exam, there _are_ tolerances. If you miss 
440 by up to 1.0 cent your pitch score will still be 100. A three cent 
error on A4 yields the minimum passing pitch score of 80.

Kent Swafford