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Another tuner question

Author: beejay
Date: 2001-03-07 16:01

Can anyone tell me what a cent is, and how many cents can you diverge before the average listener notices you are sharp or flat?

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RE: Another tuner question

Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-03-07 19:45

Beejay -

A cent is 1/100 of a semitone. At A-440, the B a semitone below is 415, for a difference of 25 Hz. For this interval, a cent is 1/4 Hz, which is not noticeable. (The number of Hz from one semitone to the next varies with the pitch. For the 880 A an octave higher, the neighboring B is 830, for a distance of 70 Hz, and a cent is 7/10 Hz.) Anything over 15 cents is certainly noticeable, with flatness being more obvious than sharpness, and any difference is much more noticeable on unisons, due to the beating of the difference.

You can go crazy trying to match a tuner to the last cent. And anyway, the tuner only gives you an equal tempered scale, and real music requires adjustments. Use the tuner to determine which notes are out and learn to hear what to do to bring them in tune. In the end, you have to play the notes in tune without benefit of a tuner.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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RE: Another tuner question

Author: beejay
Date: 2001-03-08 13:01

Ken
Thanks very much for a very learned answer.

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