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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> Why do you find 443 absurd? It's an
interesting question. Why does A 443 sound<BR>> more or less good than
A 440 or A 457 for that matter? I guess you could approach<BR>> this
philosophically, psychoacoustically, or mechanically
(practically?).<BR></DIV></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Phillip, I think you are right, there
are at least three different approaches to what were are talking about. When I
said that 443 was absurd, I was talking about my personal experience; I grew up
listening and tuning to 440. When I hear a piano, or an orchestra that gives an
A higher than that , I feel very uncomfortable. It has nothing to do with
what actually sounds better. If the whole world decided that 457 was going to be
the new standard, I would need to re-learn A4 to that standard.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> Assuming an A 440 and an A 443<BR>> with
the same relative partial or harmonic structure would we all, or would some
of<BR>> us individually, prefer one over the other? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>All things being equal, this would
depend on the amount of tonal recognition that a person has. If a person does
not have the ability to remember precisely what 440 sounds like, then I do not
think that it really matters. For myself, these two frequencies are very
different. Although I will admit that I can easily be tricked when strange
things are happening with the overtones.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>>Does the<BR>> preference of one over the
other mean there is something inherently good or bad<BR>> about that
frequency or just that the piano doesn't really sound its best at a <BR>>
frequency other than that for which it was designed?<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT color=#0000ff>If a piano is scaled
appropriately, then presumably it will sound its best at the frequency for which
it was designed. But this deals with the overall quality of tone, and is not
related to tonal recognition. Honestly, piano scaling is not my strongest area,
so it is something that I can only generally talk about.</FONT></DIV></FONT>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>By the way, why are so many pianos in
the Bay Area tuned to 441-442? My wife recently did a recording in a studio that
was tuned perfectly to 441. Since the tuning was very good, and the recording
session was to start soon, I left it how it was. Although, neither one of us
were comfortable with 441.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff>Bradley M.
Snook</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>