#Professional piano tuner device portable
#Professional piano tuner device software
#Professional piano tuner device professional

Tuning hardwareĪnalogous to the software, the tuning hardware is being developed in two stages:

#Professional piano tuner device software

The software is being designed for use on a computer running Windows XP/2000 operating system, but cross-platform issues are being considered and it is expected that little effort will be required to create versions of the software for other operating systems. The user interface, along with the audio extraction are being developed in Python for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is the ease of integration with C. In order to approximate real-time performance as much as possible, the computationally intensive algorithms (note detection, beat generation and beat analysis based on the PitchSpy project) are being implemented in the C programming language. Stage 2: Modify the program from stage 1 so that a trichord could be tuned. Stage 1: Develop a program that will determine the difference in frequency of a sounding note to a user selected (and internally generated) reference note.

The frequency analysis software is being developed in two stages: The details of each of these components are displayed in the image below, along with their interconnections with the piano, the user, and each other

This project has been divided into two functional components: the hardware for tuning the piano, and the software for frequency analysis. This project builds on the work of previous students, who developed a built-in piano tuning device (Perpetually Tuned Piano project) and software for evaluating the frequency mismatch between strings (PitchSpy project). An average individual with an understanding of tuning frequencies and pitch should be able utilize this device after familiarizing himself with the user interface and setup.

#Professional piano tuner device professional

This device will reduce the physical effort required to tune a piano, and will not require the trained ear of a professional tuner.

#Professional piano tuner device portable

This project aims to develop a portable tool which will be used to automatically tune the post-modern piano currently being designed by Professor Birkett. An experienced tuner, therefore, must not only ensure that each bichord and trichord is in unison, but also that the discrepancies between notes caused by the harmonic stretch is minimized. Piano tuning also requires a high degree of auditory acuity. This piano uses set screws with a linear torque response, rather than the conventional tuning pegs, for fine adjustment of string tension. The issue has been addressed in the design of a post-modern piano that is currently being developed by Prof. Due to the unpredictable response of tuning pegs to applied torque, tuning a conventional piano is a mechanically difficult. This tuning is a difficult task which should be performed by an expert piano tuner. Strings exhibit what is known as harmonic stretch, in which the harmonics produced are slightly higher than the expected frequencies (note the mismatch of frequencies between C1 and C2 in the figure below).Īs with any musical instrument, pianos need to be tuned periodically to keep them performing their best. Since each octave in the musical scale represents a doubling in frequency, one would expect that the fundamental frequency of a note would be identical to the 2nd harmonic of a note one octave below. The vibration of the strings is characterized by a fundamental frequency and a number of harmonics. The strings are grouped in sets of two (called a bichord) or three (called a trichord), and within a set each string must vibrate at the same frequencies. To produce sound, the piano converts a pianist's manipulation of its keys and pedals into vibrations of internal piano strings. Pianos have played a significant role in western culture for more than three-hundred years. Design team members: Pat Coutsos, Ellen Kaye-Cheveldayoff, Sagini Thulasirajah, Jonathan Wanklin