Summary of Piano Tuning Theory - Hertz, Beats and Cents [Part 5] I HOWARD PIANO INDUSTRIES

Main Ideas and Concepts

Understanding Hertz (Hz)
- Hertz refers to the number of vibrations (or cycles) per second of a musical note.
- The standard pitch for A4 (the A above middle C) is 440 Hz, meaning it vibrates 440 times per second.
- When moving up or down octaves:
  - An octave higher (A5) theoretically has 880 Hz (twice the frequency).
  - An octave lower (A3) has 220 Hz (half the frequency).
  - Further down to A2 would be 110 Hz.
Calculating Frequencies
- To find the frequencies of notes in between octaves, divide the octave frequency by 12 (as there are 12 notes in an octave).
Understanding Cents
- Cents are a unit of measurement in music that indicates the pitch deviation between notes.
- There are 100 Cents in a semitone (half step). For example, the distance from A to G# is 100 Cents.
- If a note is 50 Cents flat, it is halfway between the two notes.
Beats
- Beats occur when two frequencies are close but not identical, creating a pulsing sound.
- A difference of 1 Hz between two notes will produce one beat per second.
- The speed of beats increases with higher frequencies; for instance, if A4 is tuned to 440 Hz and A5 is tuned slightly sharp, the beats will be faster due to the higher frequency.
Practical Application
- The speaker demonstrates tuning A4 to 440 Hz and then slightly sharp to 440.1 Hz, which results in a beat of about one per second.
- When tuning A5 (octave above), a similar sharpness results in a faster beat (two beats per second).

Calculating Frequencies
- Identify the standard frequency of a note (e.g., A4 = 440 Hz).
- For higher octaves, multiply by 2 for each octave up (e.g., A5 = 880 Hz).
- For lower octaves, divide by 2 for each octave down (e.g., A3 = 220 Hz).
- To find intermediate notes, divide the octave frequency by 12.
Understanding Cents
- Recognize that 100 Cents equal one semitone.
- Measure pitch deviations in Cents (e.g., 50 Cents flat means halfway to the next note).
Listening for Beats
- Tune notes close to each other and listen for the beats.
- Adjust the tuning to achieve desired beats per second based on the difference in frequency.