432hz vs 440hz - The devils tuning (Conspiracy content)

Wolfetone

I have only just come across this tuning conspiracy with some even claiming the the Nazi's introduced 440hz tuning to depress the enemy. Discuss....

thegummy

Like most conspiracy theories it's utter gash that only dafties believe

fretmeister

What a load of nobbers.

Orchestras have been tuning to the woodwinds for donkeys. Whatever freq is an A on an oboe is what everybody else tunes to.

Funkfingers

A440 is the most widely accepted norm.

German orchestras are known for tuning slightly sharp of that. e.g. Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. 

ESBlonde

The history of 'concert pitch' is long and detailed. Effectively there was no international regulation for most of history and only in the later half of the 20th Century has it really been recognised. Early versions of A could be as low as 400Hz with each orchestra tuning to itself. this was not a problem until transport enabled musicians to get about for work and the problem became apparant.

Spend a while searching the history of concert pitch on you tube os whatever.

DannyP

And it's only 440hz if you're playing an actual A natural. Which you aren't most of the time.

Phil_aka_Pip

Funkfingers said:

A440 is the most widely accepted norm.

German orchestras are known for tuning slightly sharp of that. e.g. Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. 

It has been since 440 was accepted as the standard for a concert pitch A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch

Sassafras

I think it was their blitzkrieg strategy that depressed their enemies more than the music ever could.

ICBM

I think that's one of the most nonsensical things I've seen for a long time! The idea - not his presentation, since it's clear he doesn't believe it either.

All the pieces he plays (rather well too) sound better at 440 to me - better-tuned and more 'harmonious' - but that's possibly because the guitar has been deliberately built to resonate best at concert pitch.

It proves nothing - other than that guitar sounds better at 440 - and all the rest is numerological new age bollocks.

theflyisback

I’ve always thought a guitar sounds at its best when tuned whole tone down to D. Particularly acoustics. Resonates so sweetly. Credence Clearwater Revival thought so too. 

Always bugged me as a kid when I was trying to play along to cds and it sounded awful until I dissed my little Korg tuner was set to 441

Blaendulais

theflyisback said:

I’ve always thought a guitar sounds at its best when tuned whole tone down to D. Particularly acoustics. Resonates so sweetly. Credence Clearwater Revival thought so too. 

Always bugged me as a kid when I was trying to play along to cds and it sounded awful until I dissed my little Korg tuner was set to 441

You had a tuner as a Kid? Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth!! .  

theflyisback

Blaendulais said:

theflyisback said:

I’ve always thought a guitar sounds at its best when tuned whole tone down to D. Particularly acoustics. Resonates so sweetly. Credence Clearwater Revival thought so too. 

Always bugged me as a kid when I was trying to play along to cds and it sounded awful until I dissed my little Korg tuner was set to 441

You had a tuner as a Kid? Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth!! .  

Oh aye. Came with my first encore black strat, a little jhs combo amp that I could switch to 3v with the adapter and it sounded like revolution by the Beatles, and a bert weedon tutorial video

thegummy

Blaendulais said:

theflyisback said:

I’ve always thought a guitar sounds at its best when tuned whole tone down to D. Particularly acoustics. Resonates so sweetly. Credence Clearwater Revival thought so too. 

Always bugged me as a kid when I was trying to play along to cds and it sounded awful until I dissed my little Korg tuner was set to 441

You had a tuner as a Kid? Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth!! .  

A silver tuning fork

KevS

I think Satan kept tuning everything 8 cents sharp before people started playing.

jpfamps

Funkfingers said:

A440 is the most widely accepted norm.

German orchestras are known for tuning slightly sharp of that. e.g. Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. 

Most Europen Orchestras tune to A 443 Hz, as does Stevie Wonder.

webrthomson

ICBM said:

numerological new age bollocks

^ I'm stealing that for a cover band name

SNAKEBITE

I couldn't tell the difference!

Is this why I'm so shit at playing guitar?

TheMarlin

I did prefer the 432 tuning, but will do bigger all about it. 

thecolourbox

The 432 tubing seems to be out of tune on the power notes, but as ICBM says that could be because the instruments they are using are designed for concert pitch.

What it made me think about though, is people with supposed perfect pitch. Would they hear an A at 440 or 432? And by implication is it at least partly learnt rather than natural?

thegummy

thecolourbox said:

The 432 tubing seems to be out of tune on the power notes, but as ICBM says that could be because the instruments they are using are designed for concert pitch.

What it made me think about though, is people with supposed perfect pitch. Would they hear an A at 440 or 432? And by implication is it at least partly learnt rather than natural?

440 - it's completely learnt in the way that we learn that red is the word for the colour that looks like that.

What's natural is that when they hear 440hz tone without any context, they'll know it's A that they're hearing whereas most of us couldn't know what note it was.

Sleepyscholar

Best video on the topic I've yet seen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=EKTZ151yLnk

Don't give up on it before 1:45, though.