Information AboutTuning |
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In Music , there are two common meanings for tuning: ; Tuning Practice : The act of tuning an instrument or voice. ; Tuning Systems : The various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument. Tuning practice Tuning is the process of producing or preparing to produce a certain Pitch in relation to another, usually matched at the Unison but often at some other Interval relationship. ''Out of tune'' refers to a pitch that is too high or too low, corresponding to Sharp or Flat , respectively. Different methods of sound production require different methods of Adjustment :
Some instruments do not have a regular Harmonic Series , and are known as Inharmonic . This makes their tuning complicated, and usually compromised. The tuning of bells, for instance, is extremely involved. Tuning may be done aurally by sounding two pitches and adjusting one of them to match or relate to the other. A Tuning Fork or electronic tuning device may be used as a reference pitch, though in ensemble rehearsals often a piano is used (as its pitch cannot be adjusted for each rehearsal). Symphony orchestras tend to tune to an A provided by the principal Oboist . Interference Beat s are used to objectively measure the accuracy of tuning. As the two pitches approach a harmonic relationship, the frequency of beating decreases. When tuning a unison or octave it is desired to reduce the beating frequency until it cannot be detected. For other intervals, this is dependent on the Tuning System being used. Harmonic s may be used to check the tuning of strings which are not tuned to the unison. For example, lightly touching the highest string of a cello at halfway down its length (at a Node ) while bowing produces the same pitch as doing the same one third of the way down its second highest string. Basic tuning (open strings) For open strings in Physics , see String (physics) . In Music , the term open string refers to string of a String Instrument when it is played at full length on the instrument —ie. played without shortening its length (ie. fretting on a guitar) on the fingerboard. The strings of a Guitar are normally tuned to Fourth s (excepting the G and B strings in standard tuning), as are the strings of the Bass Guitar and Double Bass . Violin , Viola , and Cello strings are tuned to Fifth s. However, nonstandard tunings (callse Scordatura may be used, which require alternative methods. To tune an instrument, usually only one reference pitch is given. This reference is used to tune one string, which is then used to tune all of the others. On a guitar, often the lowest string is tuned to an E. From this, each successive string can be tuned by fingering the fifth fret of an already tuned string and comparing it with the next higher string played open. (This works with the exception of the G string, which must be stopped at the fourth fret to sound B against the open B string above.) This table lists open strings on some common string instruments and their standard tunings. Altered tunings See Also: scordatura Unconventional tunings, or Scordatura (It., from ''scordare'', to mistune); were first used in the 16th century by Italian lutenists. It was primarily used to facilitate difficult passages, but was also used to alter timbral characteristics, reinforce tonalities through the use of open strings, and to extend the range of the instrument. Violin scordatura was employed in the 17th and 18th centuries by Italian and German composers, namely, Biagio Marini, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Pachelbel and J.S. Bach; whose ''Fifth Suite For Unaccompanied Cello'' calls for the lowering of the A string to G. In Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K. 364, all the strings of the violin are raised one half-step, most likely to make more open strings available. Scordatura for the violin was also used in the 19th and 20th centuries in works by Paginini, Schumann and Bartok. In Bartok's ''Contrasts'', the violin is tuned G#-D-A-Eb to facilitate the playing of tritones on open strings. American folk violinists of the Appalachians and Ozarks often employ alternate tunings for dance songs and ballads. The most commonly used tuning is A-E-A-E. Tuning systems A ''tuning system'' is the system used to define which Tone s, or Pitch es, to use when playing Music . In other words, it is the choice of number and spacing of Frequency values which are used. Due to the . More complex musical effects can be created through other relationships.W. A. Mathieu (1997) ''Harmonic Experience : Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression''. Inner Traditions The creation of a tuning system is complicated because musicians want to make music with more than just a few differing tones. As the number of tones is increased, conflicts arise in how each tone combines with every other. Finding a successful combination of tunings has been the cause of debate, and has lead to the creation of many different tuning systems across the world. Each tuning system has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Systems for the twelve-note chromatic scale It is impossible to tune the twelve-note Chromatic Scale so that all Interval s are "perfect"; many different methods with their own various compromises have thus been put forward. The main ones are:
Other scale systems
Comparisons and controversies among tunings All musical tunings have advantages and disadvantages. Twelve tone equal temperament (12-TET) is the standard and most usual tuning system used in Western music today because it gives the advantage of Modulation to any key without dramatically going out of tune, as all keys are equally and slightly out of tune. However, just intonation provides the advantage of being entirely in tune, with at least some, and possible a great deal, loss of ease in modulation. The composer Terry Riley , said "Western music is fast because it's not in tune", meaning that its inherent beating forces motion. Twelve tone equal temperament also, currently, has an advantage over just intonation in that most musicians are trained in, and have instruments designed to play in equal temperament. Other tuning systems have other advantages and disadvantages and are chosen for various qualities. It must be realized, however, that just as many people who play music today in equal temperament without having heard of it as musicians throughout the world that use just intonation without "knowing" it. The octave (or even other intervals, such as the so-called Tritave , or twelfth) can advantageously be divided into a number of equal steps different from twelve. Popular choices for such an Equal Temperament include 19, 22, 31, 53 and 72 parts to an octave, each of these and the many other choices possible have their own distinct characteristics. Non-equal and non-just tunings also provide advantages. For instance, William Sethares shows that the tunings of Bali nese Gamelan s are related to the Inharmonic Spectra or Timbre of their Metallophone s and the Harmonic spectra of stringed instruments such as the rebab, just as just intonation and twelve tone equal temperament are related to the spectra or timbre of harmonic instruments alone. Some instruments, such as the Violin , don't limit the musician to particular pitches, allowing to choose the tuning system "on the fly". Many performers on such instruments adjust the notes to be more in tune than the equal temperament system allows, perhaps even without realizing it. See also
References # J. Murray Barbour ''Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey'' ISBN 0-486-43406-0 External links
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