Sunday, 16 July 2023

Testing The Tuning Tests

Some of the most useful information to come out of the last years use of the proposed testing procedure is an objective analysis of the skill levels of the testees, a concept of what a good tuning is and some of the most effective tuning evaluation procedures I know of.

If you are in a testing situation, or just wish to be able to perform an analysis of your own work these procedures can be helpful. If you do not have testing equipment and wish to objectively look at your own tuning you will have to do the tuning and then walk away from it for an hour or two to let your mind rest and acquire a new perspective on tuning.

It is of no consequence which fork you use or which “temperament octave” you prefer. The analysis of tempering will require a minimum of twenty-five notes for potential error elimination. The only strictures on this two-octave placement are those imposed by the piano and your ears. The two octaves should not cross over wound strings if at all possible and the range should not be such that the beats of sixths and thirds become too fast for accurate assessment.

For this purpose the biggest or the best is better, but biggest does not necessarily mean the best, so choose an instrument that is easy to tune and fine for listening and all that might imply for you.

Pick almost any notes, high, middle or low and using that note as a pivot point, check the two fourths, the two fifths and especially the two thirds that revolve around that one note and compare them all but in pairs, not mixed. If all appears well with that note and its intervals, then go to the next note above or below and continue this form of analysis until the entire two octaves have been validated and possible changes noted but not necessarily made yet.

As an example, C4 is the pivot note. Listen very carefully to the C4-F4 and G3-C4 fourths several times. What is being sought is a variation of the beat rate that is less than acceptable. Within practical limits, they should be identical. If no change is desired, then switch to the related fifths, C4-G4 and F3-C4, again played several times, seeking improper tempering. It is well to make good use of the third/sixth test of fourths and the sixth/tenth test of fifths to help define beat rates. The more difficult but highly informative conjunctive thirds G#3-C4 and C4-E4 must have the 4 to 5 beat rate ratio. This is one of the more helpful tests in that it has a balance that remains constant and once the ear is attuned to the relationship, a minor error assumes major proportions.

Each octave must be tested three ways. First the third/tenth test will verify the degree of expansion, second ...

Read more:

https://www.professionalpianotunerlondon.co.uk/post/testing-the-tuning-tests

 

 

 

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