Cyber ears

[Ron Nossaman]

>
>As Dr. Coleman pointed out the beat of F3 to A3 will vary from piano
>to piano, and I have seen it as low as 5.5 bps, so knowing the beat
>rate is not as useful as we all thought twenty to thirty years ago. 
>What is important is to realize that the relative beat rates are what
>is needed to be known.
>


Which is why I suggested a graphic display of ascending thirds, sixths, etc
to show the relative, rather than the absolute positioning. Call me dense
(reply - "YOU'RE DENSE!"), but I still don't understand why this would be so
difficult. Virtually all of the sampling methods and 99% of the required
math is already in place in existing software based VTDs. The addition of
another couple of arrays, another option added to the menu and mode flag
check in main program loop, and a few subroutines to update the array values
as the pitch of individual notes are changed, and refresh the display, isn't
that big a deal if the original code was put together with called
subroutines, rather than a mess of inline Case, and If..Then statements. The
aural tuner would take a few samplings to establish an inharmonicity curve
and proceed as usual, using the VTD display, mostly, for refinement or
damage control. The display wouldn't require accuracy to the 99th decimal in
a sampling of 16 partials, since it's just an analog display of *computed*
beat rates derived from measured pitch, against *computed* optimal pitch,
modified by *sampled* inharmonicity. That's got to be doable in real time.
What's the use? Perhaps none, in a long term practical sense, but I think it
could be quite informative on a short term basis to aural tuners as another
validation that they are doing what they want to do as they attempt to
advance their skills, and as a teaching aid for beginning tuners to gauge
their progress. I see it not as a note for note aid to the tuning process,
but rather as an after the fact reality check. Is it worth the trouble for
the available market? Obviously not, but like the other twenty billion
wished for gadgets in the same category, it could be interesting and
informative. The historical temperament folks might find such a thing
particularly interesting for prospecting purposes.

 Ron