Question about Beats During Tuning

Robert Finley rfinley@rcn.com
Fri, 11 Mar 2005 22:04:35 -0500


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I have just started to study piano technology with a correspondence =
course, and one of the text books suggests that it is necessary to =
recognize beat rates of 7, 8 and 9 beats per second in order to tune =
certain intervals such as 3rds and  6ths. To me this seems extremely =
subtle, and I am wondering whether most people can tell these beat rates =
apart just by listening? At the moment I am having difficulty even =
hearing the beats in the first place, and was wondering if anyone can =
suggest how they can be made to be more pronounced and easily heard?=20

I don't have much problem with unisons. I can hear the beat rate slow =
down when the frequency of one string gets closer to the other, and then =
the quality suddenly improves (probably by sympathetic vibration?) when =
I get a good unison.=20

Does one's ability to hear beats and to determine their speed improve =
with experience? Thank you for your advice.=20

Robert Finley
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