Last Sunday 19 December 2004 18:37, Janina Sajka was like: > tim hall writes: > > While we're at it, what's the chance of tuning mains hum up to an > > actual concert 'A' or even down to a concert 'G' (about 46Hz by my > > calculations). OK, I know what the realistic answer is, but how many > > times have you wished that the mains hum was at least IN TUNE! :-) > > Many a time here. Frankly, I even consider this discrepency a stress > contributor on the planet. > > I wish we could get the U.S./Japan/etc to come down from 60 and Europe > to go up from 50 and split the difference at 55 Hz thus bringing the > planet back in tune.But then 440 isn't that solidly entrenched a > standard either. You and I are of one mind on this subject! No 440 isn't a solidly entrenched standard. If they tune to A446 or whatever, that'll make Japanese mains hum about A#. I prefer the supposedly 'Pythagorean' tuning of A432, because the maths looks nice (I'm an artist not a scientist :-). If a second is a natural division of time then it would be generally more harmonious, surely? If the size of a second is arbitrary (I don't know) then so is the entire argument. 55Hz would at least give a 'concert' A -3, which as a bassplayer would allow me to tune to my amp. *laugh* I would seriously like to see some proper research on the subject as I also seriously think that the pitch of mains frequency does contribute to stress, not just in musicians trying to tune their instruments. As such I would argue for everyone pitching Down rather than Up. Just a thought. cheers tim hall http://glastonburymusic.org.uk
