Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [tuning]

The system of pitches used by an instrument or in a piece of music, or the practice of adjusting the pitches that instruments or voices produce to be in accordance with the chosen system. When relevant, please also include the tag of your instruments, e.g. [guitar] or [violin].

The system of pitches used by an instrument or in a piece of music, or the practice of adjusting the pitches that instruments or voices produce to be in accordance with the chosen system.

When relevant, please also include the tag of your instruments, e.g. or .

576 questions
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12 answers

Why is the guitar tuned like it is?

Why is there that funny tuning kink between the G and B string on a guitar in standard tuning? I.E. the gap (interval) between the rest of the adjoining strings is 5 frets (semitones) (or a perfect fourth), but the gap between the G and B string is…
David Kethel
78
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11 answers

How long would it take to learn to tune a piano?

I have a piano that is out of tune, and I know tuning pianos properly is complicated enough to have its own profession. But I think it would be interesting to have a go myself, for fun. But is this even meaningful? Could I spend a day with some…
Lennart Regebro
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What's the difference between a G♭ and an F#?

I've heard it said that, whilst on most instruments these notes are played with the same fingerings/technique/etc., there is a subtle difference. This isn't specific to this particular note combination, but to all enharmonic equivalents. What might…
8128
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20 answers

Why Is Just Intonation Impractical?

I've read about the debate of "just intonation" vs 12-tone equal temperament. And nowhere it was clearly stated why just intonation is impractical. Here are my assumptions. Please let me know if I am correct. Just intonation frequencies are based on…
Bozho
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51
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5 answers

Why are pianos traditionally tuned "out of tune" at the extremes?

My understanding is that the vast majority of western music uses equal temperament, i.e. all semitones have a frequency ratio of the 12th root of 2. However I can hear in my piano that the notes at the low and high extremes of the keyboard are ever…
Michael Slade
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9 answers

Why are orchestras tuned differently?

In 1936 American Standards Association (and the International Organization for Standardization in 1955) accepted that A would be tuned at 440 Hz (or cycles per second). Yet despite the fact that a standard has been accepted, orchestras frequently…
SRiss
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10 answers

Software that allows playing in different temperaments

Do you know of any software out there that will allow me to play in different musical temperaments (e.g. Well temperament and Meantone temperament)? I'm especially interested in software that accepts MIDI input.
Babu
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10 answers

Why is the double bass the only instrument in the violin family tuned in fourths?

Out of the 4 instruments of the Violin Family (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass), the bass is the only instrument tuned in fourths. Wikipedia states The double bass is generally tuned in fourths, in contrast to other members of the orchestral…
Shevliaskovic
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Why is my guitar's saddle at an angle?

Most acoustic guitars I've seen, including my own, have an angled saddle (the white strip holding up the strings): This makes the bass strings longer than the treble strings. Why is this? Additionally, why is the second-to-highest string (B in…
Bill Cheatham
38
votes
5 answers

Why do pianos not need to be tuned every time you play?

I usually tune my guitar and violin whenever I play them. I assume most people do too. But what makes piano strings different? I know it is a lot of work to tune a piano, but I'm under the assumption that pianos do not need to be tuned as often as…
user46372819
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37
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9 answers

Can wind instruments be played out of tune?

I believed that the trombone stands almost alone among wind instruments, in that it allows to play a continuous pitch range. The rest have a discrete set of possible notes (pitches), hence things are somewhat easier, in that (providing that the…
leonbloy
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When tuning a guitar, should you always end with tightening the string rather than loosening it?

I used to have a guitar teacher that said you should always finish tuning each string by tightening/sharpening the string. So for example if the top E is a little sharp, you should turn the peg to make it flat and then tune it up to the right…
Alexander Troup
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15 answers

Why is dropped D tuning used so often?

Many metal/rock songs use dropped D tuning. What reasons are there for it?
gak
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33
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Why do people with perfect pitch perceive tunes not in 440 Hz out of tune?

I do not have perfect pitch, but I heard that people who have it might have difficulty when a piece of music is not tuned to the usual 440 Hz pitch standard; it sounds out of tune for them. But this makes no sense to me. As long everything is in the…
StefanH
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33
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3 answers

Why is A4 the standard pitch reference for tuning?

Why do musicians use concert A, the A above middle C, as the standard pitch reference for tuning? Various national and international standards define the frequency of this note. For example, ISO 16 specifies that musical instruments should be tuned…
Bradd Szonye
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