Quite right. Jim Coleman has turned this to an advantage: Don't ignore the partials, intentionally listen to the third partial of the electronic fork and make sure it's beating between 3 and 4 bps on the flat side with the A4 string (Check with C4). Add this to one or two of the traditional checks at 440Hz and you have a very accurate method. Ed Sutton ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Scott" <fixthatpiano at yahoo.com> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 7:19 AM Subject: Re: Temperature and the Tuning Fork > Ed Sutton wrote: > >> For the tuning exam, it's probably best to get an electronic A440. > > But if you use an electronic A-440, be careful of harmonics. Most > electronic tone generators have strong 2nd and 3rd harmonics. These > harmonics will beat with the 2nd and 3rd partial of A4. And due to > inharmonicity, these beats will not go to zero at the same tuning as when > the fundamental beats go to zero. You can train yourself to focus on the > fundamental and ignore the 2nd and 3rd partials, but it may not be easy. > If you tune to the 3rd partial you could be off by half a cent at the > fundamental, and the fundamental is where you will be evaluated for the > setting of A4 in the tuning test. However a tuning fork is almost pure, > so the only beat you will hear is the fundamental. > > Robert Scott > Ypsilanti, Michigan > > > > > >
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