The sound of a tuning fork helps to tune musical instruments, which allows you to play them correctly. You can, of course, rely on your own hearing, but it will be more reliable to double-check.
About musical instruments
The need for creativity appeared in people a very long time. So the first musical instruments began to appear. Of course, at first they were extremely primitive, but became more complicated over time. And at some point it turned out that for convenience they need to be brought to a certain standard, especially if they have a different design. So there was a need for a universal reference point. Knowing one note, you can build the rest, but where do you get it from? In search of a solution to this problem, the device was invented, which is sometimes also referred to as musical instruments. You can’t do without it if you need to tune the piano or grand piano, so it’s not easy to find a replacement.
What is a tuning fork?
Those who have a piano at home sometimes call the tuner to make sure that the instrument is not fake. And then you can see in the hands of the master a strange curved wand. In fact, this device may look different, but its purpose is always the same. A tuning fork is a device that produces a note "a" of the first octave. Focusing on this sound, you can build all the other notes.
Each musical instrument has its own characteristics and working principle. There are factors that interfere with proper functioning - for brass and strings it can be inaccurate movement, sudden changes in temperature, etc. Therefore, a tuning fork is an indispensable thing for every musician, which allows you to quickly put everything in order. No wonder he was invented, because he was so needed. This gave an impetus to the development of ideas for playing the same pieces with a large number of different musical instruments, because now it was not difficult to harmonize their sound.
By the way, “tuning fork” is a German word, although it does not mean quite that. It translates as “room sound,” and the musical instrument in question is called Stimmgabel in Germany.
History of appearance and development
The tuning fork was first invented by the English court musician John Shore. He was a trumpeter and, obviously, well understood the laws of physics, in particular acoustics. The oscillation frequency of the plate for the note "la" at that time was 119.9 Hertz. So the tuning fork appeared. Photos of old copies are very interesting, because today you rarely see such a device in life. It looked like a two-toed metal fork that needed to be hit on something so that it began to make a sound.
Over time, the appearance of the tuning fork changed, varieties appeared with a wooden box that performs the function of a resonator. In addition, the oscillation frequency of the device gradually increased. Today, for the note "la" of the first octave, it is 440 Hertz.
Modern varieties
Today, musicians can choose from a huge number of tuning forks. They can be made in the form of a metal plug, pipe or whistle. They can also make sounds of different heights, the most popular are "la", "mi" and "do". Sometimes it’s even a few tones at a time - such instruments are often used by guitarists and violinists, since the classical system for each of these instruments is the same.
In addition, in recent years, a large number of electronic tuning forks, called tuners, and applications and sites on this topic. So it’s hard for a modern musician not to be able to tune his musical instrument - there will always be an opportunity to push off from the main tone. By the way, a tuning fork is a serious help for the choir, especially if singing occurs without music - "a cappella." In this case, the singers are guided by the sound of a standard tone, but do not forget about the compatibility of their voices.
For each specific purpose there is a tuning fork. For a guitar, it can contain all six notes for open strings, for a violin and cello - four, etc. This greatly simplifies the tuning process. But no matter how it looks and what it was intended for - in any case, the tuning fork works in accordance with the laws of physics.
Principle of operation
Probably most of the school physics course remembers that sounds are caused by vibrations. And this case, of course, is no exception. A tuning fork for a guitar, piano or any other instrument works according to one principle - some action sets the plate in motion. She, in turn, hesitates and emits a tone of one height or another. The device creates harmonic waves, and this means that the resulting tuning fork sound is very clear. In addition, it is not affected by ambient temperature.
By the way, most tuning forks are quite compact, and this also has a physical reason. The fact is that the larger it is, the lower the sound it emits, even if the other parameters are the same.
Special species
There is another kind of tuning forks, which is important not to be confused with the others, since they are used in completely different cases. We are talking about a medical tuning fork, which is needed by otolaryngologists, orthopedists and neurologists to study the features of sound conduction on the bones of a patient.
This device also serves to determine the response to vibration. With its help, it is possible to identify diseases such as pallistesia or polyneuropathy, which occurs, for example, in diabetes mellitus. This device is called a tuning fork not only for a similar appearance, but, of course, for a similar principle of operation.
In a figurative sense, this word is also used, for example, by psychologists. They sometimes offer their patients to find the "inner tuning fork", that is, the rod, support, the basis of personality.
About interesting
In symphony orchestras, where the number of different musical instruments is simply huge, a tuning fork is not such a frequent visitor. Usually, tuning is done in accordance with the oboe - almost nothing affects its sound. However, if a piano is used in a performance, then it is first tuned in accordance with
tuning fork, and the rest of the instruments are already regulated on it. Even if some kind of mistake occurs, the whole orchestra will sound harmonious, and perhaps the audience will not even notice the flaw.
Guitar tuning
This musical instrument remains extremely common among those who are not involved in performing activities professionally. Of course, this is a classic six-string guitar. When it is new or the strings have recently been replaced on it, it is often necessary to tune it. And later, after a careless movement and as a result of temperature changes, it may be necessary to correct its sound.
If at hand there is a special tuning fork for the guitar, the task is greatly simplified, because each note issued corresponds to a separate string. But if only a classic variety is available, you will have to work hard and strain your hearing. The sound produced by the tuning fork should match the tone of the first string, clamped in the fifth fret. When this is achieved, you can continue. To do this, each subsequent string is clamped on the fifth fret tuned in unison with the previous one. This is simple, but requires some practice. The only exception is the third, for which the third fret is used.
By the way, if the guitarist does not have a tuning fork, then you can listen to the usual telephone beeps, they also correspond to the note "la". You can also independently adjust the strings of a violin, cello and similar instruments. Well, setting up a piano or piano is so complicated that it is better to entrust this business to professionals.