PIANO TUNING TEMPERAMENT

ANALYSIS AND SCORING

By Mark Cerisano, RPT

howtotunepianos.com

This is a free analysis generated by a recording of M3’s and P4’s submitted to me by one of my
subscribers.

Contact Me Now if you would like a free analysis of one of
your temperaments.

Piano: Unknown
Submitted by: 007

BEAT SPEED PROGRESSIONS

YOUR M3 RESULTS:

Goal: Chromatically increasing by 0% to 12%

M3, filtered:

M3, unfiltered:

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YOUR P4 RESULTS

Goal: 0.5 bps to 1.5 bps

P4, filtered

P4, unfiltered

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HOW TO USE THE GRAPHS AND AUDIO TO IMPROVE YOUR EAR

1. Listen to the recordings while looking at the graphs.
2. Listen to the filtered recordings and try to confirm aurally that the beat speeds are following what the graph says.
This improves your Beat Speed Ratio Sensitivity – Your ability to hear small differences in beat speeds.
3. Listen to the unfiltered recordings and try to hear the specific beating partial within the unfiltered recording.
This improves your Tuner’s Ear – Your ability to filter frequencies at will.

YOUR TEMPERAMENT MARKS

M3 Mark: 61%

P4 Mark: 58%

Minimum required in each section: 80%

GRADING OF THE TEMPERAMENT

Marking Criteria:

Start with 100%

Chromatic M3 Beat Speed Ratios

Goal: Increase by 0% to 12%

Increase by 12% to 24% – Lose 3%

Increase by more than 24% – Lose 6%

Slowing down by 0% to 12% – Lose 3%
Slowing down by more than 12% – Lose 6%

Chromatic P4 Beat Speeds

Goal: 0.5bps to 1.5bps wide

1.5bps to 2.5bps – lose 3%

More than 2.5bps – lose 6%

0.5bps narrow to 0.5bps wide – lose 3%

More than 0.5bps narrow – Lose 6%

 

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INSIGHTS

You must understand interval sizes in Equal Temperament,
and Wide, Narrow, and Pure
Intervals, in order to follow the logic explained below.

In the table above, each M3 or P4 that had an issue was analyzed to determine
how each interval note could have produced the error.

Then the table was scanned to see if any note errors were repeated.

This logic is done mentally at the tuning to determine which notes need to be improved.

Improving just a few notes can make a huge improvement to the temperament.

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CONCLUSION

In refining a temperament, we identify two or more problems that suggest the same note may be too high or too low,
and then change that note and fix multiple problems. This reiterative method helps us improve
the temperament bit by bit.

This is why it is imperative that, if you want to improve your aural tuning,
you must improve your beat speed recognition. Exercises like these can help greatly.

You are encouraged to read the analysis and confirm aurally that you can hear the findings,
and understand how the improvements suggested would improve the beat speed progressions.

In this way you will improve your ability to rationalize the logic, and improve your ear to be
able to hear smaller and smaller beat speed differences.
Improving these skills will greatly improve your temperament.

Keep up the good work and don’t give up! You are getting better all the time!

Mark