On 02/02/2011 08:47 PM, tnrwim at aol.com wrote: > Speaking of positive comments, would you be so kind as to answer three > questions. > > One, why are you so against learning to tune aurally? I - TRUST - technology, I grow up with it. My first PC was the IBM PC with the 8088 processor, circa 1983. My mentor was and still is (on occasion) an aural tuner, however to save time and his ears (don't want this debate again) switched to Cybertuner. Repeating myself, being with him on many service calls - I - TRUST - Cybertuner. Again, repeating myself, I don't see the need - when I - TRUST - Cybertuner. > > Second, when you sing barbershop, do you use an ETD to stay in tune, > or do you use your ears? I use my ears and being in it for 34+ years, I know what it sounds like and what to listen for. We basically have roots, thirds, fifths, octave roots, and "barbershop" sevenths (C, E, G, Bb) AND, to stop this idea dead in its tracks, yes, these checks can be done on a piano - HOWEVER - with the voice, you don't have to "tune" out false beats, echoing from neighboring notes, noise from the plate, resonating strings, etc. And that's it - no 9ths, 12ths, no counting beats, etc. You - just - hear - it. AND, you can't compare "tuning" your voice and tuning a piano. > > Third, you tune unisons by ear, and you check octaves by ear at the > end of a tuning. Doesn't that bother you? After all, you have to > listen to the beats. How awful that must be for you. First of all - NO - I - DON'T - listen for BEATS. I listen to make sure the octaves sound like one note - just an octave apart - just like in unisons - make them sound like one note. Just like in barbershop music - the same note just an octave apart. And this is where I came up with the name of "pure octaves" (don't want to start this debate again). To me, a pure octave, is where the high octave note is hidden in the lower octave note. (??probably equal to no "stretch"??) I other words, if I play A3 (880) and A4 (440), the A4 is hidden (not heard separately) within A3. Now if I hear "beats" or warbling then I see it as out of tune. Also, in other words, if A3 and A4 are perfectly in tune, then if I raise the dampers and hit A3 then A4 should start to vibrate. > Speaking of tuning octaves, maybe I'm not as good as you, but often > times when I check a note by playing it with one an octave lower, it > sounds OK. But when I check that same note with a note two octaves > down, and especially two octaves and a third down, I can hear that the > note is not in tune. Why do you suppose that is? (Oh I'm sorry that > makes 4 questions). That just means, you are not done because they are not in tune. Duaine -- Duaine Hechler Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding Reed Organ Society Member Florissant, MO 63034 (314) 838-5587 dahechler at att.net www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com -- Home & Business user of Linux - 11 years
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