Re: Piano tuning

["James S. Marsh" <jsmarsh@uwf.edu>]

Gary:  I just happen to have one of those Scientific American reprint books
on my shelf, called "The Physics of Music".  Inside is an article by E.
Donnell Blackham, "The Physics of the Piano", which appeared in the
December, 1965 issue of Sci. Am.  Hope this is what your are looking for.
Jim


> I'd like to find the article in Scientific American,   back in the 70's
> I believe,  which was called the "Physics of the Piano".  As  I
> recall,  it was really about piano tuning, and it pointed out that
> the tuning of the three stringed notes is in fact an extremely subtle
> business.  These three strings share the same bridge,  and thus
> influence each other and make for a complicated resulting
> vibration of the soundboard.   The article pointed out that there is
> no possibility of exact equality of the three tuned frequencies, they
> will always be a bit off.  On the other hand,  a very good piano
> tuner finds a subtle relationship between these three frequencies
> which gives a superior tone.   Anyone remember when this article
> ran?
>
> *****************************************
>  Gary Hemminger
>  Dwight-Engelwood School
>  315 E. Palisade Ave.
>  Englewood, New Jersey
>             07631
>  e-mail: hemmig@d-e.pvt.k12.nj.us
> ********************************************



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