Al wrote: > 4 cents = 1 htz. > 4 cents flat would be 439. This is true, but only at A440. An octave higher, 2 cents = 1 Hz. Here's an easy way to convert between beats and cents. Memorize what Al wrote, plus the key below, and everything else can be estimated in your head from that. So: > At A440, 4 cents = 1 Hz. Every half step contains 100 cents, but the Hz doubles each octave higher. So at A5, 2 cents=1 Hz, and now, here's the key, -> At A6, 1 cent=1Hz! This is the only pitch for which this is true. And, it's true whether you're thinking about A6 as the fundamental, or as a harmonic of a lower note. So for example, if you change A3 by 1 Hz at the fundamental, you've changed it 8 cents, because A6 is its 8th partial, so the 1Hz change is multiplied by 8, and 8 cents at A6 = 8 Hz. Or, if you change A2 by 1 cent, you've only changed its fundamental 1/16 Hz, because its 16th partial is A6, so 4 octaves below, the 1 Hz (1 cent) is divided by 16. The thing to remember is, Only at A6, 1 cent = 1 Hz Hope this helps. -- Mark Schecter On Jan 20, 2011, at 6:04 AM, Al Guecia/Allied PianoCraft <alliedpianocraft at hotmail.com> wrote: > 4 cents = 1 htz. > 4 cents flat would be 439. > > Al - > High Point, NC > > > > On Jan 20, 2011, at 8:52 AM, James Sasso wrote: > >> Thanks for all the input and suggestions. I don't understand the math of the beats vs. cents ratio although I would like to learn more about that. There must be some mathematical formula. The fork (warmed to room temperature) beat 19 times in seconds or about 2 beats per second. How does that translate into cents in the A440 range? The fork is stamped A440. The fork was compared to Tunelab (calibrated via phone) and other cheaper tuning devices and all were 6-8 cents flat (if those numbers on the right side of the box in Tunelab equal "cents"). I value the suggestion to return it--I'm too busy to experiment with filing an expensive fork that far from appropriate pitch. Jim, I like your quartz suggestion; can it be used for the tuning exam as it can't be visual, only aural? >> Jim >> > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20110120/d2108242/attachment-0001.htm>
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