For 5 octaves , for the "white" notes only , is the 15 th key from the left
middle C ? . Without any pitch-bend should it be 256 Hz or 256.?,262, 264 ?.
Or should the calibration be on "A" above middle C ie white key number 20 ?
and should that be exactly 440 Hz or some other frequency rounded to 440 Hz
?


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On Jul 6, 8:08 am, "N Cook" wrote:
For 5 octaves , for the "white" notes only , is the 15 th key from the left
middle C ? . Without any pitch-bend should it be 256 Hz or 256.?,262, 264 ?.
Or should the calibration be on "A" above middle C ie white key number 20 ?
and should that be exactly 440 Hz or some other frequency rounded to 440 Hz
?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/


Hi,
If I follow you right, then the C notes are the white key immediately
to the left of the pair of black keys. Different manufacturers start
the keyboards on different keys, so counting them is a little
difficult to determine which is which. If you can match the tone of
the key to the second string C on a six string guitar in standard
EBGDAE tuning, then that is middle C. 256 Hz is middle C, and 440 Hz
is the next A above middle C.
Hope this helps,
Louis

On Jul 6, 6:08 am, "N Cook" wrote:
For 5 octaves , for the "white" notes only , is the 15 th key from the left
middle C ? . Without any pitch-bend should it be 256 Hz or 256.?,262, 264 ?.
Or should the calibration be on "A" above middle C ie white key number 20 ?
and should that be exactly 440 Hz or some other frequency rounded to 440 Hz
?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

If you're working with an equally tempered scale, A above mid-C would
be 440Hz and middle C 261.625. The relation is 12th root of 2, approx
1.059. And yes, there are people who demand .01Hz or better accuracy.
Wikipedia is a good place to start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament

GG

wrote in message
ps.com...
On Jul 6, 6:08 am, "N Cook" wrote:
For 5 octaves , for the "white" notes only , is the 15 th key from the
left
middle C ? . Without any pitch-bend should it be 256 Hz or 256.?,262,
264 ?.
Or should the calibration be on "A" above middle C ie white key number
20 ?
and should that be exactly 440 Hz or some other frequency rounded to 440
Hz
?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list
onhttp://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

If you're working with an equally tempered scale, A above mid-C would
be 440Hz and middle C 261.625. The relation is 12th root of 2, approx
1.059. And yes, there are people who demand .01Hz or better accuracy.
Wikipedia is a good place to start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament

GG


Thanks for that , its not a well tempered clavier or anything ancient but a
late 20C electronic keyboard. So I take it that middle A reading 440.000 +/-
a little on a crystal controlled frequency meter then middle C should read
261.625 +/- a little.
Over the years I've come across a couple of people who've professed to have
"perfect pitch" and I've asked them what it was like listening to films like
Amadeus or Farinelli on TV and they've both not reported any problems
despite AFAIAA 24 frame per sec film is shown at 25 frame per sec on UK TV
telecine so a 4 per cent frequency shift, whatever that is in semitones.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

N Cook wrote:
Over the years I've come across a couple of people who've professed to have
"perfect pitch" and I've asked them what it was like listening to films like
Amadeus or Farinelli on TV and they've both not reported any problems
despite AFAIAA 24 frame per sec film is shown at 25 frame per sec on UK TV
telecine so a 4 per cent frequency shift, whatever that is in semitones.

A lot of people believe perfect pitch is something other than what it
really is. I have very weak perfect pitch, in that during periods when I'm
doing a lot with musical instruments I can remember a note like A, and
mentally walk up or down the scale from there to the note whose pitch
I'm trying to name.

I am easily aggravated by a single instrument that's out of tune, even
slightly, in an entire orchestra. Of course, accurate instrument tuning
is the most obvious thing differentiating professional orchestras from
grade-school bands.

--
Postulate a group whose intent is to destroy the United States from within
via anarchy and bankruptcy. The actions of the United States Congress are
completely consistent with the actions one would predict from such a group.

clifto wrote in message
...
N Cook wrote:
Over the years I've come across a couple of people who've professed to
have
"perfect pitch" and I've asked them what it was like listening to films
like
Amadeus or Farinelli on TV and they've both not reported any problems
despite AFAIAA 24 frame per sec film is shown at 25 frame per sec on UK
TV
telecine so a 4 per cent frequency shift, whatever that is in semitones.

A lot of people believe perfect pitch is something other than what it
really is. I have very weak perfect pitch, in that during periods when I'm
doing a lot with musical instruments I can remember a note like A, and
mentally walk up or down the scale from there to the note whose pitch
I'm trying to name.

I am easily aggravated by a single instrument that's out of tune, even
slightly, in an entire orchestra. Of course, accurate instrument tuning
is the most obvious thing differentiating professional orchestras from
grade-school bands.

--
Postulate a group whose intent is to destroy the United States from within
via anarchy and bankruptcy. The actions of the United States Congress are
completely consistent with the actions one would predict from such a
group.

Surely detecting one instrument out of tune in amongst others is a different
matter. Are you not hearing a beat frequency of 20 Hz or so instead of the 1
or 2 Hz of difference to the summation of all the instruments that are "in
tune".
I have cloth ears and only hear such beats in very special situations like a
sustained note in Lakmé :Flower Duet where the 2 female voices give an
unmistakeable low hertz beating.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

I have perfect pitch in that I can tune a guitar perfectly without
aid. That is not to say that A is going to be 440, but it will be in
tune to itself, and highly playable. But now that I have bought a
piano it all defaults to that.

When it comes to playing with others, it has to be in real tune. But
alone, for playing alone I can do it.

N Cook, you should try to learn how it is suposed to sound. That would
be an achievement. I had a buddy with a severely out of tune piano, I
really wanted to tune it. It had been welded. It was out bad.

I have a portable keyboard which I would've tuned to first, every
string, and then set the offsets.

With a keyboard you do not have to deal with that. Just set the
notes.

Have fun with it. If you're around Cleveland I might like to watch or
even help. If not, so much for that.

If you are trying to tune this thing you should have a pretty good
idea of how it should sound. After one reference you should have it. I
did not say it was easy to do that way, but it is possible. How did
the first guy who invented the thing do it ?

JURB

wrote:
I have perfect pitch in that I can tune a guitar perfectly without
aid. That is not to say that A is going to be 440, but it will be in
tune to itself, and highly playable. But now that I have bought a
piano it all defaults to that.

That's nice pitch, but that's not perfect pitch. With perfect pitch
your A would be 440.0 Hz, and as someone picked out random notes, you'd
be able to call them off as quickly as they were played.

Not to detract from your ability, but perfect pitch is very very rare.

--
Postulate a group whose intent is to destroy the United States from within
via anarchy and bankruptcy. The actions of the United States Congress are
completely consistent with the actions one would predict from such a group.