Technical data
| Type | Tuning fork |
| Material | Steel |
| Item number | VS-508 |
In practice
- Hold the fork by the stem and strike it on your knee or the ball of your hand, never on a hard edge.
- Swinging freely the tone is quiet. Set the stem on a resonating body, on string instruments on the top.
- Many orchestras today tune to 442 hertz or higher, while 440 hertz is the reference pitch of the frequency tables.
Technology and use
A tuning fork gives a fixed reference pitch to which the A string is tuned; tables and calculations take the reference pitch a1 at 440 Hz as their basis. In practice many orchestras tune higher, often to 442 Hz and above.
For a violin with the factory set Dominant 135 (21.2 kg of total tension), a fork at 442 Hz instead of 440 Hz means around 0.9 per cent or 0.2 kg more string tension, one at 443 Hz around 1.4 per cent or 0.3 kg; at baroque pitch of 415 Hz the tension is around 11 per cent lower.
A trained ear clearly hears the step from 440 to 442 or 443 Hz: it amounts to around 8 and 12 cents respectively (a cent is a hundredth of a semitone), while in an overtone-rich violin tone the ear distinguishes as little as 0.5 to 1 cent under good conditions. Tuning fork and electronic tuner are therefore the tools for absolute tuning.
Frequently asked questions
How much more string tension does 442 instead of 440 Hz mean?
Around 0.9 per cent. On a violin with Dominant 135 and 21.2 kg of total tension that is about 0.2 kg.
Can you hear the difference between 440 and 442 Hz?
Yes, the step amounts to around 8 cents, and a trained ear resolves 0.5 to 1 cent in overtone-rich tones such as the violin's under good conditions.