In a message dated 10/28/1999 3:04:59 PM, you wrote: <<"Jim, can you enlarge on this? With the test, we're talking about precision to roughly <grin> 1 cent, more or less.">> Well yeah I can............A tuning fork is very sensitive to heat changes holding a relatively cold fork in your fingers will cause the fork to change pich very rapidly. For instance I just tried this for this post :-).................... I took my c523.5 cps fork that has been sitting out in room temperature for months now and checked it with my SAT, it was right on..........next I put it in the shop refrigerator right below the freezer compartment and left it there for 45 seconds..........checked it again (holding it very carefully as far away from the tines as possible) and it was two/three lights sharp on the SAT...................next I placed it in my hand for a ten count covering the tines and then checked it on the SAT and it was five or six lights flat................Now I don't know how to change lights flat and sharp into portions of cents ( Dr. Coleman???) but this shows there is a significant difference when measured. Does this relate to a difference when setting a note??? you darned betcha......but is it gonna be a significant difference??? <<"If there's any reason why a piano tuned for a concert needs to be any closer than that, I would be interested to find out what it is! ">> Well you have allowed your camel to stick his nose under a tent where it shouldn't be :-) At least this isn't what I was referring to........was pitch as requested, i.e., A440? A441? A442? A435?, what temperament (some are less pitch dependent/reliant than others), were the venue lights turned on before tuning? Is there heat/air conditioning in the venue? these and more, including the things you mentioned, go into determing pitch and where it would be set initially. Was your fork hot or cold? Just how do you set 435?, or 441?, or 442? when all you have is an A 440 fork? Does inharmonicity play a role in offset tuning? F to A440?, If so how much? And does the same apply to the other pitches? In other words I suppose a piano tuned in a dark venue with no heat or air is not going to be where you put it when the Ochestra is rehearsing and the lights and heat/air have been turned on so it don matter much noways how hot or cold yo fork is :-) And what happens to the woodwinds as they go sharper and sharper (?) during the concert? or the strings as they go flatter (?) The thing to do with a fork (my opinion) is to calibrate it a known temperature such as has been alluded to, i.e., armpit, under the belt, in your back pocket, etc. Or you can let it float to the temperature of the plate, which is what I prefer, not having arm pits large enough to hold a grand under :-), from that point you will know whether the pitch needs to be sharp or flat of your fork, nes pa?? Besides if you sets de pitch within a hemi, semi demiquaver y'all gonna be a hero no how .....!! To the person who asked the original question about fork temperature...do the best you can, with whatever procedure you feel the most comfortable with and you will not go wrong and you will be within the 1 cent margin. My view. Jim Bryant (FL)
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