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440 hz vs 432 hz ???

#41
DarnellBass said:
Most all orchestra strings are made for standard tuning so its not going to sound all that good, especially for double bass.
Higher tension stings for electric can be tuned down and still sound great though.
Lowering pitch does sound much better and more emotional imho. That's why part of the reason why baroque tuning was A=415h, also its much easier on the human voice; 440 is way to high for our voices! You have to give yourself time with it. The intervals sound much 'looser' and easier on the ear.
There's a whole conspiracy theory about why the Nazis implemented concert pitch to A=440hz.
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well, sort of. Baroque tuning was low, due to the catgut strings they used and the instruments that had 6 strings or more - a lot of tension on a Viol or Viola de gamba neck. The predecessors to the piano - harpsicord, etc., weren't built well enough to handle higher tension, either. 415 is interesting to hear- it feels very relaxed and sonorous, due to its darker sound. I used to go to early music society concerts, played with Baroque era instruments, (synthetic catgut strings- PETA would have had a fit) tuned down to 418.
 
#43
DarnellBass said:
Most all orchestra strings are made for standard tuning so its not going to sound all that good, especially for double bass.
Higher tension stings for electric can be tuned down and still sound great though.
Lowering pitch does sound much better and more emotional imho. That's why part of the reason why baroque tuning was A=415h, also its much easier on the human voice; 440 is way to high for our voices! You have to give yourself time with it. The intervals sound much 'looser' and easier on the ear.
There's a whole conspiracy theory about why the Nazis implemented concert pitch to A=440hz.
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Not to flame but...

How can we pretend we've any idea what baroque tuning was.

Plus .. Isnt 415 almost exactly A-flat ..?
 
#45
I'm very surprised that none of you know the true powers of 432hz tuning vs 440hz. 19th century the standard tuning for the A was 432hz based off the earth's resonance and doing the math all the way up. There are many psychological and even physical benefits from the tuning. Then the Nazi's found this out and started experimenting with changing it to not only with hold the before mentioned benefits but actually numbing and dulling the brain. The mid 1900s England got their hands on this and made "standard tuning" 440hz and everyone pointlessly followed England's lead. 440hz literally can cause stress without you even knowing it...and think about everything, TV, radio, instruments...everything is at 440hz...432hz has amazing overtones on my acoustic guitar and sounds full. Harmonica is a funny one though. Haha. Being a harmonica player I know how gross it sounds when the harmonica is at 440 and the guitar is at 432. Luckily I was jammin by myself(solo artist joke haha).

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#47
walterw said:
huh?

that's not remotely enough of a difference to matter to a singer's voice! 432 is just "a little out of tune".

You are not a singer i reckon...I have sung 22 years not as the front man but a couple of tunes maybe on a night,,, I am a skilled technical singer who can sing up through my passagio up to G#4 which is pretty decent for a deep baritone..

And the downtune to 432Hz is significant.. The tough note at the entry to the passaggio (E4 for me) gets so much easier at 432Hz.. And going though the passaggio is much easier at 432Hz and the F4 to G4 sounds much better at 432Hz...
432Hz is the Verdi pitch that was suggested some years ago to be used for old mozart, händel and Verdi pieces as that pitch is closer to the composer pitch back in 1800 before the pitch inflation..

Classic music and opera to my ears sounds so much better around or below 435Hz,, which is the Frech standard from 1859 that lasted in Europe to the 1930s besides in the UK that changed the pitch form 435Hz to 439Hz in 1896.
The french standard at 435Hz was a compromise between the opera singers getting to strained and the concert halls wanting a louder and brighter sound...

Take my leadsinger (baritenor).. He does the usual suspect of cover songs in their original key,, like U2s "one" in Am/C-major. but he strains a bit too much through a entire night ,,, but on a good day he sound fantastic on the U2 songs.. Downtuningti E-flat on the instruments puts the key down to G#m in "One" and it sounds a little lackluster with his voice.. Its closer to my sweet spot now.. A detune of 1/3 of a half step (432Hz) would be a crazy god idea.. but our tuners only go to 435Hz...
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#49
Some people actually tout the power of the number 432 in advocating this tuning. This ignores the fact that the length of a second is completely arbitrary. Also, you're only in sync with the earths vibrations -- or whatever they're claiming -- when playing A and its overtones. In the equal temperment we play in, even the scale notes that ought to be A overtones are out of tune with actual, physical overtones of your fundamental. And God forbid you play in B flat , which is even less '432' than '440' is.
 
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#50
the point has been made that the primary push and pull over tuning pitch historically has been between string instrumentalists (where everything sounds tighter, cleaner and just better tuned up) and vocalists, where everything is easier to pull off tuned down.
 
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#52
I just had my first experience with 432Hz today! I was trying to learn a Goo Goo Dolls song and couldn't figure out why I was out of tune - then it hit me to change the tuning frequency. 432Hz it is! I don't know if it makes it sound better, but It sounded good to be in tune!
 
#55
Turnaround said:
If you want to be in tune with the Earth, consider that it rotates at a rate of once per year. That's a frequency of 0.00000003170979 Hz.
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Umm, the Earth rotates at a rate of once per day.

If the Earth rotated only once a year the same side of the earth would always face the sun and the other side would be in perpetual night.
 
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#56
Dellers said:
I wonder what Rage Against The Machine tuned to. Quite a few of their songs are tuned to something else than 440 hz.
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My buddy owns Rocksmith (surprisingly not a huge waste of time), and it has a crazy-accurate tuner in it. Turns out, loads of old recordings are played on out-of-tune instruments, and it'll tune you to them before you play the song.

As far as I'm aware, people claim that 432Hz sounds warmer. Personally I think it's psychosomatic, you'll only notice played side-by-side, and even then not much.
 
#57
mongo2 said:
Umm, the Earth rotates at a rate of once per day.

If the Earth rotated only once a year the same side of the earth would always face the sun and the other side would be in perpetual night.
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Once per year around the sun, which is it's cosmic periodicity with respect to the solar system. But even at once a day, that's 0.00001157407407 Hz. B-string will still be a bit too floppy. Then again, I haven't accounted for leap years, so my calculations aren't accurate. And the influence of the moon and the tides it causes is probably a factor as well. Maybe along with the frequency of earthquakes. And solar flares. And the hum of mosquitoes.

Aw heck, I'm just going to stick with 440 Hz and let our fans enjoy the music and dance.
 
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#58
Turnaround said:
Once per year around the sun, which is it's cosmic periodicity with respect to the solar system. But even at once a day, that's 0.00001157407407 Hz. B-string will still be a bit too floppy. Then again, I haven't accounted for leap years, so my calculations aren't accurate. And the influence of the moon and the tides it causes is probably a factor as well. Maybe along with the frequency of earthquakes. And solar flares. And the hum of mosquitoes.
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Don't forget poly vs nitro finish.
 
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#60
For my band, we use 432.

For spiritual, mathematical and instrumental reasons.

The universe vibrates at a freq. of 432 Hz. That is important to me as I feel music is the language of the universe.

Mathematically tuning to 432hz makes all notes a whole number, unlike 440hz where different notes have decimal's in their Hz make-up. This to me speaks to my EAR as sonic harmony.

Instrumentally all of my instruments sustain, sing and sound better than before.

After extended use I find no in back to 440hz has a straining effect on my mind and ears.

I could care less what the standard is, the standard way of things these days is far from what is good IMO.

Also, huge low bass tones in 432 vibrate in the most amazing way. You really feel it. It makes you buzz and lifts your soul...if you believe in all this stuff of course.
 
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