<HTML><HTML> In a message dated 3/12/05 4:05:24 AM, tune4u@earthlink.net (who didn't sign= a name to his post) writes: <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">The very common march= tempo of mm=120 will let you count 4 beats per metronome tick, which = is 8bps, and it's easy to get that rate into your noodle storage space.<BR= > </BLOCKQUOTE> This is simply not true. I conducted professional musical theater product= ions for 25 years before becoming a tuner. For 20 years I set the tempi i= n my head for each song. (The goal being to play the same tempo every night.= ) I was known for my accuracy and consistency here in Chicago. Then, i= n the 1990s I became involved in computer sequencing of live shows. At th= is point, I was CERTAIN that the tempi were the same night after night becau= se the computer set the tempi. Let me tell you: some nights that thing seemed S O = S L O W . Other nights it seemed as if thi= ngs were flying by. I remember the dance captain coming to me at intermis= sion once to ask, "Is it possible that the 'BlahBlah dance break' was fast t= onight?" No, it was digitally the same as last night. It just SE= EMED faster tonight. So maybe I was better than most at setting those tempi in my head prior to t= he digital revolution (I'd like to think so), but I know now that I was not = 100% accurate. It's not humanly possible. So to bet the farm on your ability to set 120 in your head is folly. Knowing that, as a tuner I have never tried to count beats in tempo. I us= e comparison exclusively. Yeah, the F3-A3 third is the starting point and= you try to hit that as close as you can, but by then comparing the contiguo= us thirds F3-A3-C#4-F4 and making sure that you have a progression there you= can get it even closer if you missed it in the first place. Even Virgil Smith has in his tuning sequence a quick check (using comparison= ) to make sure that his F3-A3 third is beating properly. If all you had t= o do was memorize a tempo, why would Virgil Smith, certainly one of the grea= test tuners of his generation, use comparison to check his beat speed on tha= t opening F3-A3 third? Trying to memorize beat speeds in your head is a waste of time in my opinion= . At the very least, I can guarantee that there are other ways to skin th= e cat. My proof: I recently passed the RPT exam with all scores 93 or hig= her. And I never ever try to count beats. Ever. I only compare. Tom Sivak Chicago Chapter PTG Associate</HTML>