Back in the '70s I remember reading in a book about historical tuning theory that, at least according to that author (whose name I can't recall), people in all likelihood used theories like Just Intonation and Meantone as a starting point, then adjusted things until they sounded good to them. Since there is no such thing as a perfect string generating a perfect overtone series, this makes perfect sense to me. I'm loving reading this discussion, though. My college Theory professor said, "If it sounds good, it's good." She was referring to composition, but the same can be said for tuning. Tom > I have to say, I'm always amused by these discussions that broadly > outline the imprint of theoretical measurements on the phenomenon > of sound. If we look at all the factors, including thickness and > stiffness of string material, variability in trueness of dimension, > interference of temperature and humidity (and probably barometric > pressure) on the transmission of sound, proximate acoustical > deflections, damping caused by skin oils, distortion caused by > finger pressure, variability caused by thickness of fret material, > wave interference from nut, bridge, soundboard materials, etc. > Then there is the phenomenon that different ears hear the pitch > differently. Where do we stop? I say train your ears and tune to > the best of your ability. RA > Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:24:40 > +0100 > To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > From: akbut...@tiscali.co.uk > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Tuning > > with apologies to those who aren't > interested ;-) > > For a plucked instrument the finger on the node > is removed from the string just after the pluck. (otherwise the > sound is damped) > > Indeed, having sharp harmonics is a property > of all strings outside the physics lesson, as any piano tuner > knows. > > Also, if you use an oscilloscope to view the waveform, > and hit the harmonic partially so that some of the fundamental also > sounds, you can see the waveform of the harmonic moving against > that of the fundamental. > > For a bowed instrument, I suspect the > harmonics are in tune as long as the bow is driving the string. > > > andy > > Philip Brown wrote: > > That may be true, but a more > obvious cause would be that the total > > length of vibrating > string is reduced by the width of the area of > > contact of the > finger. > > > > Cheers > > > > Philip Brown > > > > On Mon, Jun 25, > 2012 at 9:00 AM, <willsam...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > >> They would be > for a perfectly thin flexible string - but string stiffness > sharpens the higher harmonics. > >> Bill > > >> On 25 June 2012 > 09:39, andy butler <akbut...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote: > >>> Harmonics > on a plucked string are a little bit sharp, > >> Isn't it the case > that harmonics are pure by definition? > >> > >> David > >> > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- >
Tom Draughon Heartistry Music http://www.heartistrymusic.com/artists/tom.html 714 9th Avenue West Ashland, WI 54806 715-682-9362
