<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: =
0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A href="mailto:euphoniac@juno.com"
title=euphoniac@juno.com>euphoniac@juno.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"
title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, March 15, 2001 =
8:34
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Randy Potter School =
Students and
Alumni</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I have just begun studying the temperament chapter in the course =
and
I<BR>need some help. I understand that I need to be able to hear =
the
beat<BR>rates for the intervals as I tune, BUT as a professional =
musician, I
have<BR>never had to listen to beat rates. I only needed to =
learn to
play in<BR>tune with others. So. . . what did you do to sharpen =
your
skills with<BR>the beat rates? Any help would be appreciated. =
<BR><BR>If
any listers want to send me tips, I'd appreciate that as
well.<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR><BR>Don Palmire<BR>Euphonium<BR>The U.S. =
Army Band
("Pershing's Own"), Washington, D.C.<BR><A
href="mailto:euphoniac@juno.com">euphoniac@juno.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Since you specify beat =
<U>rates</U>,
I'm assuming you can hear the beats themselves. As for beat =
rates, I
think the easiest ones to hear and count are in the Major thirds and =
Major
sixths in the mid bass up to just above middle C. When I =
learned, we
used different methods to memorize the length of a second and of =
low
numbers of beats per second, like 1 through about 9 beats per =
second. 1
bps is the old familiar "one thou-sand one, one thou-sand two", etc., =
or sit
and listen to a clock that ticks once per second and try to tap your =
foot or
pat your knee at exactly the same rate. Or use a metronome (set =
it to
60). If you set it to 120, that's 2 bps, or march =
tempo.
Twice that is 4 bps. Walk down the street checking the second =
hand of
your watch, or better, some kind of display that flashes once =
per
second. Try to walk at march tempo (two steps per second), then =
check
against your watch and see if you're keeping pace. Or an =
electronic
metronome that beeps and doesn't need a flat stable surface would work =
also. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> Five bps is approximately "Minneapolis" =
pronounced
slowly, or maybe I should say enunciated. I know this is not
scientifically exact, but it's a good way to remember. Let the =
metronome
tick once per second, or watch the second hand of your watch while you =
say
"Min-ne-a-po-lis" or "wa-wa-wa-wa-wa" or "one-two-three-four-five" =
over and
over, then turn off the metronome but keep your Minneapolises or =
wa-wa-wahs
going, then turn the metronome back on (or glance at your watch again) =
and see
if you're still in synch. </DIV>
<DIV> Seven beats a second is approximately "from =
Chicago to
New York" pronounced kinda fast (again, not a precise or scientific =
thing,
just a memory aid -- anything with seven even syllables would
work). It's trying to memorize a certain speed of repetition, =
using
everyday stuff to help you remember When you get in the car and =
crank
the engine, you probably get used to the rpms it cranks at until it
starts. Then on a cold day, you notice it's not =
cranking as
fast. I would guess most cars crank at about 5 to 7 beats ber =
second
(rpms), and maybe 3 bps on a cold morning, maybe 2 bps if the =
battery's almost
dead. </DIV>
<DIV> I used to hear those Rain Bird =
sprinklers on
people's lawns, golf courses, school grounds, that go " chk, chk, chk, =
chk,
chk, chk, chk, chk, =
ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-, chk,
chk, chk, chk" etc., and see how fast they were "chk-ing" in beats per =
second. The "return rate" (the "ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch" =
part)
on my home sprinkler (the big golf course ones are slower) is =
right about
7 bps. I'm into railroads, and on one of my favorite videos of =
old steam
locomotives, there's some footage of a crack passenger =
train doing
about 70 or 80, and its exhaust rate (the "choo-choo", but it's really =
more of
a "sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-") is right around 8 beats per
second. Somehow, when I picture that engine =
blasting
down the track, its exhaust rate is "set" in my mind -- pretty close, =
anyway,
and for now, that's all we're trying for. 9 beats per second is =
about
the fastest I can drum triplets on the table with my index
fingers. 3 bps is a fast waltz. Above 12 to 15 bps =
is too
fast to count for most people--just varying degrees of =
"coarseness".</DIV>
<DIV> DJ's that play "techno" music get very =
good at
being able to discern the beats per minute of dance tempos just by =
memorizing
and much repetition. I realize the watch watchers and metronome =
counters
are probably wincing, but these mental "audio images" were a great =
help when I
was learning to count beats and set a temperament. If I =
associated the
different beat rates with things like engines, sprinklers, and
"Min-ne-a-po-lis", it was easier to remember than trying to say =
"wa-wa-wa-wa"
a certain number of times per second. It's kind of like trying =
to make
evenly spaced marks a quarter or an eighth or a half inch apart on a =
piece of
paper, then checking yourself with a ruler. You won't be right =
on every
time, but with much practice, you can get darn close. These beat =
rates
have to be compromised in many pianos anyhow, but if you can set three =
contiguous thirds at approximately 5 -7- 9 or 7-9-11 ratios, depending =
which
temperament octave you're using, you'll have a pretty good foundation =
for
setting the rest of the intervals. </DIV>
<DIV> Sincerely, David Nereson,
Denver</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>