Klarinet Archive - Posting 000528.txt from 1998/09

From: "Mark Charette" <charette@-----.org>
Subj: Re: [kl] tuning: a little off subject now
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:03:22 -0400

From: Kevin Fay (LCA) <kevinfay@-----.com>

>The piano is tuned by most tuners (people, not machines) in 5ths. For
>whatever reason, the ear likes 5ths to be a little wide. Across 88
keys,
>there is a little widening. Of course, it is once again more
complicated
>than this--but not much.

It has to do with the partials on a piano being out of tune. An ideal
string would have no mass and would be the correct length for the
fundamental, but, alas, the piano would be a bit longer than 9 foot (16
foot? I forget) and the strings would _still_ have mass. The piano
tuners tune the piano to "sound" right - but - there are many different
possible tunings that "sound" right. Stretch tuning sounds almost right
on an even tempered scale.
----
Mark Charette@-----.org
Webmaster, http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet
All-around good guy and devil-may-care flying fool.
"There can be no freedom without discipline." - Nadia Boulanger

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