A440 and the tuning exam (was A440=Fork)

[Richard Brekne]

Er.. actually, I do not get the picture. Very good tuning forks are available,
and if those forks are not good enough for the exam, then something IS wrong with
the exam. Think about it Ed. We are being told that you can take a tuning fork,
file it down and stick it in some body cavity for a while, and it will be at
pitch (I am of course overstateing the point). Such treatment of the tuning fork
just goes to prove that tuning forks can be produced that give a stable pitch at
a certain temperature. Even if this was a big deal in reality, there are plenty
of electronic solutions. On top of the whole thing.. we have the buisness of
ETD's that more or less do the job for you. Tuning and all.

Ed, respectfully, we do not need to test an examinee on his ability to recognise
that standard pitch is A440. We need to verify that he knows how to use a tuning
fork. Period. The accuracy of tuning forks of diverse sorts is a matter for those
engineers and manufacturers who produce them, and if there is a serious, deep
reaching, with all kinds of ominous ramifications for the world at large problem
with these pitch devices, then those folks need to do something about it. In the
meantime, measuring the skill of a piano tuner has in itself nothing to do with
his ability to manufacture a tuning fork.


Richard Brekne
I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway

ETomlinCF3@AOL.COM wrote:

> << A good fork at room temp. should do just fine, or
>  something is wrong with the exam. >>
>
> Richard,
>
> Respectfully, there is nothing wrong with the exam.  If you have a bad tuning
> fork or one that is not at pitch, that is not the fault of the exam.
> Standards are set for a reason.  We DO need to have "A440" BE "A440."  This
> shouldn't be "around A440" or "almost at pitch."  If you ask a baker they
> will not say "any flour will do."  A race car driver doesn't like it when the
> brakes "almost slow them down."  You get the picture.
>
> Ed Tomlinson