Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

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Steve Pribyl
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Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by Steve Pribyl »

I noticed that the "D" on my Cleartune app on my iPhone set to Standard Just Intonation does not match the "D" on a stand-alone tuner (Peterson Strobosoft, also set to Just Intonation). Here's a copy of the correspondence with the Cleartune manufacturer:
Original message from me:
Device: iPhone3,1 (5.1.1)

Settings: Standard Just Intonation
Temperament key of D

The pitch D played on Cleartune on my iPhone is several hz higher than the pitch of D played on a Peterson stand-alone tuner set to just intonation. It is also several hz higher than D played on equal temperament tuners.

(from) Matt:
Steve, there could be a difference in the offsets between devices. Cleartune locks the offset for A to 0 for the key of C, and rotates the temperament to apply it to other temperament keys. So in the key of D, B would have a 0 offset. Is it possible that the Peterson is offset to 0 beginning with the root note? What Hz does the Peterson produce for D with the same settings? If this is the case - a quick workaround would be to multiply A4 by 0.991 - for 440.0 this would be A4=436.0. This will offset your root note back to 0.
I had already made this adjustment by modifying the pitch of the tone produced by Cleartune to match the Peterson, but I was surprised that Cleartune locks the offset for A to 0 instead of locking the first note of the scale to 0.

Steve
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by MTGuru »

Yep, JI is always with respect to a particular tonic pitch. Which should be user settable on a real JI tuner. Otherwise you have to start calculating.
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by Tom_S »

This is all stuff I'm still trying to get my head around, so please forgive any stupid questions here.

The pipes are tuned for JI, but also for A=440, correct? So with the aforementioned cleartune app, you would still want A=440, right? Even though it would mean that D is slightly off compared to a standard tuner, that's what you'd expect, right?
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by highwood »

Well there is I think no "correct way" to do this.
That said I think it odd to seemingly arbitrally choose the 6th degree to have a zero offset from the equal tempered scale - for a D just scale this will give a D and an A very noticably sharp of the equal temperament. 16 cents for the D, 18 cents for the A
I've yet to be play with any group that tuned to a B !!!!!!

I would think it better to have A be 440 (hence string players can tune their A strings to A440) and all the other notes would fall where they must.
So for example for D just the D would be 2cents flat of a ET D
and for C just scale the C would be quite sharp of ET at 20cents
and so on.

In the end its not so much the tuning but the playing in tune that matters.

It does make a whistlemaker's life 'more interesting' if they are making just tuned whistles
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by highwood »

while I was pondering/editing/writing my post two others appeared...

MTGuru is (as usual) is correct in that JI is relative to the tonic.

But the question arises - What is the pitch of the tonic?

And to that there is no good answer - except that in reality if there are string players involved they probably want to tune their fiddle, or cello, or whatever to A440 and leave it alone, and not retune (as say a good guitar player might) to play in a different key. And they probably want to be able to use open strings. So the pitch of the tonic probably ends up being related to A440 in some way... that is A440 is part of the scale. Practically I have not carefully checked what really happens!

Of course if you're playing an instrument with fixed tuning - a piano, or a box you will have to do what ever is needed to sound good with them. As I said above "It's the playing in tune that counts..."

Enough thinking, time to practice that new tune I am learning - 'The Yellow Wattle'
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by Steve Pribyl »

Tom_S wrote: The pipes are tuned for JI, but also for A=440, correct? So with the aforementioned cleartune app, you would still want A=440, right? Even though it would mean that D is slightly off compared to a standard tuner, that's what you'd expect, right?
You might be right about this, but I was thinking that since my drones are the tonic and playing much of the time, that I would want the tonic in tune with other instruments. Maybe that throws off the pitch of other notes too much.
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by uillmann »

Sometimes, I wonder why there is a preponderance of queries regarding just intonation, electronic tuners, tempered tuning, specific Hertz for certain notes, etc. I have usually tuned my chanter's G, B, and d, (along with the drones and regulators,) to a Marine Band or Special 20 G harmonica, and I occasionally check the accuracy of the A with a 440 fork. Works great. You can feel it. You can hear it. If your local box player has good reeds, tune to him. What do you want to do? Watch blinking lights? Close your eyes and become transported. It's not a particle accelerator. It's about music, not engineering.
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by boyd »

uillmann wrote:Close your eyes and become transported. It's about music, not engineering.
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by eskin »

Steve, I believe in Just intonation with a root of D, the G will be a couple of cents flat of equal temperament, the A a couple of cents sharp, minor deltas from other instruments tuned in equal only. For session playing, I generally have my chanter tuned for A440, with the hard bottom D matching equal temperament, and have the F# and B close to the correct just intonation pitch, maybe a few cents sharp of ideal flatness so I can have some flexibility with blending better with other non-just tuned instruments, I can always flatten with alternative fingerings.
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by Cathy Wilde »

I'm so glad for this thread. I'm always sharp according to my Cleartune app but not according to other tuners. It happens with the flute and whistles, too. There's less of a variance when I use the Equal Temperament setting, but "Standard Just" seems to average about 5 cents sharp. Thanks for posting, and thanks to all for help with the "math."
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by Cathy Wilde »

uillmann wrote:Sometimes, I wonder why there is a preponderance of queries regarding just intonation, electronic tuners, tempered tuning, specific Hertz for certain notes, etc. I have usually tuned my chanter's G, B, and d, (along with the drones and regulators,) to a Marine Band or Special 20 G harmonica, and I occasionally check the accuracy of the A with a 440 fork. Works great. You can feel it. You can hear it. If your local box player has good reeds, tune to him. What do you want to do? Watch blinking lights? Close your eyes and become transported. It's not a particle accelerator. It's about music, not engineering.
I got spoiled young when people told me I had perfect pitch. As such, I've generally gone by ear for 40 years. Then I got the Cleartune app and it, combined with the general vagaries of the pipes, have had me wondering if I've been driving people crazy all these years!
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by MTGuru »

Cathy Wilde wrote:wondering if I've been driving people crazy all these years!
I hate to tell you this, Cathy, but that probably has nothing to do with your tuning. :twisted:
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by an seanduine »

I always thought a 'perfect pitch' was when you could toss the bodhran across the room directly into the bin! :twisted:

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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by gariwerd »

LOL. Thanks Bob, that made me laugh!
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Re: Just Intonation Tuners Don't Match

Post by Cathy Wilde »

an seanduine wrote:I always thought a 'perfect pitch' was when you could toss the bodhran across the room directly into the bin! :twisted:

Bob
Actually, that's near-perfect pitch. Perfect pitch is when it lands on a banjo. ;-)
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