Dave Porritt's problem with one anomalous flat partial is the reason so many people like to tune unisons by ear. I have been enjoying Jim Coleman's excellent posts, and while he has said that he's among them, I'm not sure I've seen him mention the reason. I probably just missed it - he's so thorough. Visual devices match one partial at a time, but the ear averages them all together. Although Dave's string is a little more wonky than usual [tuning won't fix this, but have you checked the string leveling?], you can measure the first eight partials on almost any note and they won't match all the way up. Some unisons will be closer than others. As an aside, sometimes even a box temperament isn't as smooth as an aural one, for the same reason. The ear (clever, clever ear) does a weighted average and decides where in the partial spectrum to give most attention. Let it be known that I am a massive believer in electronic tuning devices, both for the beginner and the more advanced. You will notice that experienced aural tuners who have been using them for years (like Jim Coleman) are still finding out stuff. If any of you are practicing for the tuning exam, tune your unisons by ear, then check ALL of them with the box. You will find some errors that cause you to say, "Hmmm, I couldn't have missed by that much," then you will find that they actually sound worse when you tune them to the box. Check all their partials, and you will find a mismatch. Bob Davis
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