Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics, emeritus
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana
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-----Original Message-----
From: Phys-l <phys-l-bounces@mail.phys-l.org> On Behalf Of Anthony Lapinski
via Phys-l
Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2025 10:17 PM
To: John Denker via Phys-l <phys-l@mail.phys-l.org>
Cc: Anthony Lapinski <alapinski@pds.org>
Subject: [Phys-L] music scales
I'm teaching a sound unit (in my high school class) in a few months. I was
reading/revising some of my class notes and wanted to add a small section
about tuning forks when I introduce waves and frequency.
I have a standard set of tuning forks (C D E F G A B C) with these
frequencies (Hz):
256, 288, 320, 341.3, 384, 426.6, 480, 512
I often wondered why two of them (F, A) were decimals...
They sound like a normal scale.
So (512 - 256)/8 = 32 Hz
The first three (C, D, E notes) differ by 32, as do the last two (B, C
notes); the others don't.
I then searched the history of tuning forks and came across the equal
temperament scale (same frequency ratio of adjacent notes):
Pianos and guitars are tuned to this scale. Any other instruments?
I'm NOT a musician. Does anyone know when and why these scales were
developed? And why aren't standard tuning forks equal temperament to match
what some instruments produce? Any information, web references, or textbooks
will be much appreciated. Thanks!
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