[pianotech] Aurally pure octaves

[David Andersen]

Ric...my brother....I know you love the tunings on the  
website...that's all me, all whole-tone, open-string tuning. Come to  
Grand Rapids and see how it's done. Andre's coming; let's have a  
party....
DA


On Mar 10, 2009, at 11:39 AM, Richard Brekne wrote:

> I've been reading back and forth and depending on how I read what I  
> find it really difficult to be in disagreement with any of the  
> apparently (to some degree at least) opposing views here.
>
> Clearly Virgil and guys like David Andersen can demonstrate aurally  
> wonderful tunings... and they claim they are listening to some kind  
> of beat phenomena that is apart from the simple beats produced by  
> coincident pairs. There is clearly a kind of sub-level beat produced  
> when several coincident pairs inter-react as is the case in playing  
> octaves, double octaves... etc.  I posted a graph of this a few  
> years back produced on a wave program I have. And this sub beat  
> changes amplitude and rate depending on how all the partials line up.
>
> Perhaps this is what these folks are hearing... perhaps not... its  
> small in amplitude compared to the simple beats of partials.
>
> Its all very interesting to be sure... Cheers
> RicB
>
>
>   I would disagree with Virgil about where beats come from. Of course,
>   they come from coincident partials. But it is true that one can tune
>   extremely well without listening for specific coincidental partials.
>
>   However, one can still benefit from the concept of listening
>   musically.  Just relax and let the "force" guide you. <G> OK, all
>   kidding aside, if you do relax and listen for the sweet spot, you
>   will hear it eventually. Assuming you have good lever  
> technique.    You also need to learn how to setthe middle string  
> slightly above
>   that sweet spot so that when the otherstrings are tuned to the
>   middle, the pitch is correct for all three strings sounding
>   together. (Pitch does change somewhat when unisons are tuned to the
>   middle string.)
>
>   David Andersen, I'd like to attend the tuning soirée in GR. Would it
>   be during a normal class time, or after hours?
>   --    JF
>
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