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A tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork with the prongs formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic metal (usually steel). It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object, and emits a pure musical tone once the high overtones fade out.
An A440 tuning fork A common method of tuning the piano begins with tuning all the notes in the "temperament" octave in the lower middle range of the piano, usually F3 to F4. A tuner starts by using an external reference, usually an A440 tuning fork , (or commonly a C523.23 tuning fork) to tune a beginning pitch, and then tunes the other notes ...
A440 (also known as Stuttgart pitch [1]) is the musical pitch corresponding to an audio frequency of 440 Hz, which serves as a tuning standard for the musical note of A above middle C, or A 4 in scientific pitch notation. It is standardized by the International Organization for Standardization as ISO 16.
The tuning fork was invented in 1711, enabling the calibration of pitch, although there was still variation. For example, a 1740 tuning fork associated with Handel is pitched at A = 422.5 Hz, ⓘ while a specimen from 1780 is pitched at A = 409 Hz, ⓘ about a quarter-tone lower. [ 4 ]
For other tuning schemes, refer to musical tuning. This list of frequencies is for a theoretically ideal piano. On an actual piano, the ratio between semitones is slightly larger, especially at the high and low ends, where string stiffness causes inharmonicity, i.e., the tendency for the harmonic makeup of each note to run sharp.
Tuning to a pitch with one's voice is called matching pitch and is the most basic skill learned in ear training. Turning pegs to increase or decrease the tension on strings so as to control the pitch. Instruments such as the harp, piano, and harpsichord require a wrench to turn the tuning pegs, while others such as the violin can be tuned manually.
Sympathetic resonance is sometimes an unwanted effect that must be mitigated when designing an instrument. For example, to dampen resonance in the headstock, some electric guitars use string trees near their tuning pegs. Similarly, the string length behind the bridge must be made as short as possible to dampen resonance.
The extremes of the meantone systems encountered in historical practice are the Pythagorean tuning, where the whole tone corresponds to 9:8, i.e. (3:2) 2 / 2 , the mean of the major third (3:2) 4 / 4 , and the fifth (3:2) is not tempered; and the 1 ⁄ 3-comma meantone, where the fifth is tempered to the extent that three ...