Difficulty Hearing Beats While Setting Temperament

[Jerry Cohen]

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Robert,

 

In addition to Susan's suggestions, here are a few more.

 

Perhaps you should try tuning with 4ths and 5ths to start. You might find
those beats easier to hear in the beginning. Then as your ear gets stronger,
try the faster beating 3rds and 6ths. 

 

If you can hear the beats when you first start to tune, and then they
disappear after a few minutes, then just stop and walk away for a few
minutes, or even 30 minutes. You are wasting your time if you try to
continue. Each time you return, you will hear the beats for a little longer.
It feels like a muscle getting stronger. But be honest. If you can't hear
the beats, walk away. You cannot force it. Everybody learns differently, so
this may not work for you.

 

Learning aural tuning is worth the struggle, so keep at it.

 

Jerry Cohen, RPT

NJ Chapter

 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Susan Kline
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 11:58 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Difficulty Hearing Beats While Setting Temperament

 

Hello, Robert 

You don't say what kind of piano. 

Two things you can try: (1) move your head around. Sometimes a beat can be
heard clearly in one place, but another place nearby it is almost
indistinguishable. 

(2) In case you're tuning a console -- check to be sure that the dampers are
completely clearing the strings in the tenor. Sometimes split wedge felt
goes too far past the strings, and drags on the middle string even when the
key is all the way down. 

Otherwise -- practice, practice. 

Susan Kline 

At 05:42 PM 8/6/2005 -0400, you wrote:



I have been trying to set the temperament on my piano and am having trouble
hearing the correct beat rates of the intervals. The problem is that the
beats are so weak they are hardly perceptible. I have strip muted the piano
and was able to tune A49 on the piano to the A440 tuning fork by comparing
the beat rate of the note and the fork with F21. I am now trying to tune the
other notes within the temperament octave and get the beat rates of the F-A,
A-C#, C#-F and F-A to gradually increase from 7 bps to 14 bps, but they are
very difficult to hear. What can be done to hear the beats more clearly? I
have been studying tuning for several months now, but the beats of the
intervals are still difficult to hear. I don't have much trouble with
unisons as I can hear the beats more distinctly, and the improvement in the
quality of the note when I reach the pure state is very noticeable. 
 
I have an SAT III tuning device that enables me to tune the piano very well,
and to check my aural tuning, but I want to be able to tune the piano
completely by ear so that I can eventually pass the PTG examinations. Thank
you for your help. 
 
Robert Finley


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