Hearing beats

[Richard Moody]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Bill Ballard
> Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 8:29 AM
> To: Pianotech
> Subject: RE: Hearing beats
> 
---ric
> >For me the A440 fork was put on the tenor bridge sounded
> against A4 and
> >if it was close enough it (the piano) was tuned from A4.

Bill
> 
> You talking a straight unison between 1st partials, the 
> fork's and A4's, right?
   
   ---ric   Yes. 
> 
---ric
> >.......but unless it was a pitch raise you didn't change the 
> pitch of 
> >A4 because of the fork.
>
Bill 
> I'm confused. The reason we pull the fork out of our shirt pocket is 
> to set A4 to it, right?
>
---ric (with a small r) replies

Careful Bill, you don't want the fork to get too warm. :)
  But think when you last set A directly to the tuning fork.  If you
really want to be precise do you do the F2--A4 test?  You know it is
close to the fork so you start testing.
Listen to F2 and the fork and then listen to the F2--A4.  If they beat
the same the First partial of A4 is the same as the first partial of the
tuning fork. (the first partial being the fundamental).   Ok if that is
the case you don't have to tune A.    If they differ you tune A up or
down to get the beats closer.  You listen again and if the beats are the
same with the fork and A4 then you have matched A4 with the pitch of
your tuning fork.  In the end you didn't "set" A directly to the fork
you set it to the beat of f2 and the fork. A quibble but you asked...;
).    This I only picked up 3 or 4 years ago. 
 
ric
> >To get a good temperament I soon learned to get a "good" A3--A4
> >octave which I was taught to determine by the F3--A3--F3--A4 
>   third and
> >tenth tests.

Bill 
> That's a certified 4/2 octave, which is installs an A880.

---ric 
	If you are tuning A3 to A4, you still have A440.  If  F3--A3 =
F3--A4  and your A3--A4 octave is pure, then you are proving 4:2 is the
same as 2:1.  And could this be proven further by the F2--A3 = F2--A4?
Only in cases where inharmonicity of the 4th partial is sharper than the
second partial does the 3rd--10th test really show a difference between
4:2 and 2:1.  Here to make the tests match you must tune A3 down a
little and hope the octave passes in music.  But  you still have A440.

---ric 
	"He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet."

               Joseph Joubert (1754-1824); French moralist.