Originally Posted By: 90 dB
I always thought it was A/440 Hz. Of course, it may be different for a trombone, but it's always worked for me. grin


Well, by convention A IS currently 440HZ, but what is, say, C?

If you use even temperament then C is 261.63Hz if A is 440HZ, BUT, if you are using some form of JUST temperament then the frequency relationship of C to A is dependent on what KEY you're in.

This is an interesting, relevant and short read:
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/scales.html

According to a table from the link above, in the key of C, C is 261.63HZ, Equal temperament A is 440HZ BUT just Temperament A is 436.05 - this is actually a significant difference.

It is also worth noting that in equal temperament a diminished 5th is the same as an augmented 4th (in the C scale that would be Gb vs F#), BUT in a just temperament, they are DIFFERENT

There are also a couple of links to sound bytes which are quite revealing.

So I ask again, "What is "in tune"?"

Actually, maybe what I should really ask is can you see how "in tune" for one person may not be for another?

At this point I'd like to extend the expression of my antipathy to autotune: not only do I think it's a technological cheat, but I think it is a "dumbing down" of our musical sophistication, creating a "lowest common denominator" situation.

<edit> fixed link above

Last edited by Lawrie; 10/19/14 04:51 AM.
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