The Temper Tool

Ear training for piano tuners

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Bug: Have been made aware of a bug - when using the Safari browser, using the "knock out" feature results in sound being muted every other time. This renders the app fairly useless. Apologies to any users who have experienced this. Probably related to the iPad Pro bug noted in the about/docs page. Workaround is to not use Safari. Use Edge or Chrome. Sorry - don't have the time to track this down.

Features

  • Audible beat rates on coincident partials used in tuning pianos
  • Immediate and accurate detail on frequencies and beat rates
  • Simulated inharmonicity
  • Compatible with any (optional) MIDI keyboard*
*A browser that supports WebMIDI (such as a recent version of Edge or Chrome) is required to use a MIDI keyboard.

But remember: This is just ear training to help with learning beat rates of intervals and their relationships. You still have to understand what you should be listening for, and then transfer this to a real piano with its sticky pins, wild strings, etc., not to mention getting the thing to stay there. Sorry - I can't help you with that. You will need to talk to experienced technicians about those issues. But I hope this little tool helps with your ear training. Happy tuning.

There are a few short videos to demonstrate some ways the Temper Tool can be used to train your ear to listen to beat rates.

  • Video 1: Introduction - how to play and tune notes
  • Video 2: Setting A4 from the fork
  • Video 3: Setting A3 from A4 as a 4:2 octave
  • Video 4: Finding 7bps to set F3 from A3
  • Video 5: The 6 minute temperament - and scoring
Demo
videos