Tuning fork users

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

At 11:26 03/06/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>At 11:11 AM 03/06/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>>In a message dated 3/6/01 8:27:48 AM Central Standard Time,
>>tunenbww@clear.lakes.com writes:
>>>All this about A being other than 440. How does a tuning fork user set
>>>something other than A440, such as 442 or 444?
>>Paul
>
>Wait a minute...that's cents, not beats.  If I want to tune to 442, I 
>listen to my
>fork and raise the pitch to produce 2 bps; To get 444, I'd produce 4 bps
>off the fork.
>Jon Page



I always had a hard time getting those slow beats right, that's why I used 
the 435Hz fork to get beats in the 5/6/7 range.

However, without other fork you could use a check interval.

If you first tune the major third FA _PURE_ to A440, then raise A to 441 
you will get 4bps.  This is because the M3 has a 5:4 ratio. (multiply 
bottom by 5 and top by 4)

If you get the fourth pure, then raise A to 442, you get 6bps (IV ratio 4:3)

If you get the fifth pure, then raise A to 443, you get 6bps (V ratio 3:2)

In all cases, you first have to tune the A440 as carefully as you can, then 
tune the interval as pure as you can, then guestimate beat speed as closely 
as you can.  {results have large fudge factor}



Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician -mailto:hoffsoco@luther.edu
Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
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