<html><body> <DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi Alan,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I use f2 but I've never heard of using b1.  I mentioned f3 earlier because I've heard someone not on this list, say that they used f3.  I use f2 simply because I hear the beats better.  As for the science, I'm not that scientific nor mathmatical.  I get lost when one talks about partials and ratios, I'm not an engineer etc.  I do however know when a note sounds right or off, and I can sense it just doesn't feel right. Something has to change etc when I'm tuning an interval that won't cooporate.  I play drums for our church and the pianest tried to explain beats etc.  I just told him to speak in English.  I wonder if this comes from playing piano by ear for 32 years.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Marshall</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message -------------- <BR>From: "Alan Barnard" <tune4u@earthlink.net> <BR> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR>Don has it right. For the newer guy that asked and all others who may be in doubt: Do NOT use F3 to compare fork/A4 beat rates. Use ONLY F2 or B1<BR><BR>I am too lazy and busy at the moment to explain the science of WHY but it is in the archives and many other sources.<BR><BR>If one uses F3 and A4 happens to come out exactly right, <EM>it is a lucky accident</EM> and, in fact, they actually will have tuned the note "wrong" as to matching beat rates, otherwise it would NOT have come out "right" as to pitch!<BR><BR>This is not a theory to be debated, it is an axiom and a scientific certainty. So make it an unbreakable rule: <EM><STRONG>Do NOT USE F3 in tuning A4.<BR></STRONG></EM><BR>Puff, pant, rave, rant. (Not really, it was just fun making that little rhyme.) <G><BR><BR>Alan Barnard<BR>Salem, Missouri<BR><BR><BR>> [Original Message]<BR>> From: Don <pianotuna@yahoo.com><BR>> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org><BR>> Date: 01/08/2006 11:3! 5:43 AM<BR>> Subject: Re: NO NO NO was Re: electronic pitch source<BR>><BR>>> Yes you may have--but only because you failed to make the beat rate between<BR>> f3 and a4 (actually a5) identical. If you had then A4 would have been flat.<BR>> It might still be within the "tolerance" range on the exam however.<BR>><BR>> Or else your carefully "calibrated" fork was sharp (cooling as you struck it?)<BR>><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>