• G S E
  • Senior Member
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  • From: Detroit Lakes , Mn , USA
  • Registered: 2008-01-30
  • Posts: 330

Topic: Tuning and 440htz

Sometimes I wonder why some tuners are still switchable for this . For the most part , all it does is confuse players who are just starting out . Although a lot of seasoned vets don't know what it's all about .
   Don't know how many times I've heard a player say,
" yep I've got her tuned right to E-440 "
   A string tuned to 440htz
( vibrations per second ) ,
sounds an A note . That has more or less become the standard for tuning , and everthing else is based on that . Sometimes I think that some people ( particularly those who self study ) , learn just enough to make them dangerous . Although , that said , perhaps since this is for the most part theoretical ,
maybe it does'nt really matter.
   Interesting to note though ,
that untill recently , ( last thirty years or so ) , many concert pianos in orchestral settings were still tuned to A-437 . Didn't seem to bother any but the best ears . Although I have read accounts of the poor violin soloist walking away shaking his or her head after a performance , thinking something was'nt right .......

" Just reading the lyrics , it's hard to hear the song , but if the words tug at the heartstrings......it's enough for now........... "
  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Re: Tuning and 440htz

Hi G S E,
I agree that it can seem confusing.  A-440 is simply an anchor point for the tuning process.  Why that particular tone was chosen, I don't know, but it provides a good starting point. 

Most orchestras will do a final tuning just prior to a performance with the 1st chair oboist playing a long, loud A-440.  Since the tone of the oboe is so piercing and clear, all the players can hear that tone and then make their final adjustments.

Piano tuners must make subtle adjustments to the tuning as the notes get further above and below A-440.  Most pianos are tuned using a system that helps yield approximately (but not quite) mathematically perfect octaves for notes across the range of the instrument.  The frets on guitars are also set to yield similar results.

Here is a link to an article about tuning systems and intonation - fascinating topic if you are a Math nerd such as myself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website

  • G S E
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Detroit Lakes , Mn , USA
  • Registered: 2008-01-30
  • Posts: 330

Re: Tuning and 440htz

Agreed , James
   Impossible for any stringed instrument to yield mathematically perfect tones
across the spectrum .
   I hope these posts help a few people understand what that pesky 440 thing is all about .

" Just reading the lyrics , it's hard to hear the song , but if the words tug at the heartstrings......it's enough for now........... "