tuning narrow and wide

[Tony Caught]

Hi Richard,


> "organic sounding tuning" ?  You mean "like an organ" ?  : ))
>
> The foremost and primary consideration of tuning A4 to A3 is the
> "purity of the sound of the octave".    Now that might raise
> questions like the  "organic sounding tuning" statement.
> Never-the-less the  second note tuned is an octave to the first
> note tuned to a tuning fork.  (unless you are tuning from A1 with
> a machine).

This is the first point I am trying to make. By ear its simple, you just
hear it but by machine it is not so easy. On big pianos the problem is
minute but on small pianos or just lousy scaled pianos it is not easy by
machine.

In reality A4 fundimental of 440 should match the second harmonic of A3 at
440 and the fourth harmonic of A2 at 440. Likewise going up the second
harmonic of A4 should match the fundimental of A5 and the second harmonic of
A5 should match the fundimental of A6.
Then you can widen or narrow whats left (up and down) to suit the piano and
your own taste.

I guess what I should have said in the first place is,

If the Yamaha Tuning Graph (used for testing the accuracy of your tuning
both aurally and by machine, shows that there is no varition between C2 & C6
and that the note A0 is or should be between -7 & -12 cents, and you do a
test using a machine that shows a variation between these points and puts A0
at somewere between -35 & -20 cents, would you pass ?.

>
> With A3 tuned to A4 simply by tuning it as pure as possible, that
> is where I begin my  temperament.  No matter where F3 is, you can
> hear the F3--A3 and compare to F3----A4.  If they  are the same,
> eureka!.  If not, not to worry too much about tuning theory, just
> get as close as possible in 45 minutes.  ---rm
>
I take it you mean 45 minutes to tune the piano not just set the scale.

Regards

Tony Caught
Adelaide Australia
caute@bigpond.com.au