For many, many pianos 6:3 makes a nice bass without the beat that would occur at the 6:3 junction. That's what it means to tune a specific type of octave, i.e., no beat AT THAT PARTICULAR MEETING OF PARTIALS. The 6:3 is a little wider than the 4:2 which is Wider than a 4:1 which is wider than a 2:1. GENERALLY most pianos work best with--or at least it's a good starting point--4:2's (or nearly) in the center, 6:3's below the temperament (starting at or near the tenor/bass break with a smooth transition between them), and more like 4:1's going up in the treble. This is what TuneLab defaults to, for example. It's all based on the inharmonicity of the strings which is directly a product of the stiffness of the strings, the length of the strings, the quality and condition of the strings, and the workability(?) of the maker's scale design (string lengths and tensions, primarily). Other factors include striking point of hammer, condition of hammer, soundboard responsiveness, condition of bridges, etc., which can all serve to reinforce objectionable partials, introduce partials that have no business being in a given string, or kill the expected tuning partials (especially in the low bass), or mess up the tone of the string by allowing the "wrong" partials to predominate. Which doesn't even touch on false beats muddling up what we hear. See why the ear has to be the final judge, even with $1,600 gadgets? Sometimes the ETD wins because it can "hear" better than we are yet trained to hear (or maybe we god uh code in ar noz an ar ears ar sduvy that day). Some times the ear wins because we think it just sounds better than the flashing lights or radar detector moving bars are telling us. Remember, we have the power. If your ETD gets uppity, just pull the battery out of that sucker. A fun little illustrative fact: On wee pianos, sometimes the fundamental pitch of a note dies instantly because the soundboard, etc., simply won't sustain it. We "think" we continue to hear it because we hear a series of overtones (partials) and "infer" the fundamental. Want proof, set up your ETD to tune using the fundamental partial of a very low note on a little teeny spinet or premature baby grand. The device will say: "I don't hear nuttin'" So, you see, your question could only be thoroughly answered in some very thick textbooks. And there would be considerable debate, even among the experts. There is a great deal of science involved, including things that don't behave according to the rules very well (many factors to control or account for) and MUCH of it is subjective and experiential and, frankly, matters of taste and tolerance. Kinda overwhelming. What was the question, again? Hey, old pros and experts--if I got any of this wrong please correct me and all who read this! Alan Barnard Salem, MO -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of David West Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 8:52 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Octave partials Hi List, I am currently a student of the trade, and enjoy reading the information and debates posted on this forum!! I have a question regarding Octave Partials, and will try to keep this short I know that in a 4:2 octave, you tune the 4th partial of the lower note to the 2nd partial of the upper note as well as with a 6:3 octave, and so on. So my question is, for example when tuning an F octave what is the distinction between 4:2, and say a 6:3 octave tuning? I have searched the archives, and reviewed my potter course manual, and still a little confused! I plan on purchasing RCT in the next couple of days, for my dell axim to assist in the progress of my aural tuning. Sorry to post such a basic question, and hope no one gets to perturbed!!! Thanks in advance!! David West Roscoe , IL. _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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