Method and reference beat time template generating apparatus for equal temperament tuning a piano

A method for tuning a piano comprising the steps of

• tuning a fundamental key to an assigned frequency;
• selecting a secondary key of the piano for tuning;
• informing a beat time template generating device of the fundamental key and the secondary key;
• providing a selected beat time template of the fundamental key and the secondary key with the beat time template generating device, wherein providing the selected beat time comprises:
• calculating all harmonics for the fundamental key,
• calculating all harmonics for the secondary key,
• determining difference a plurality of beat frequencies for all the harmonics calculated for the fundamental key and secondary key,
• selecting one beat item as a reference beat time template signal from the plurality of beat frequencies, and
• transferring the reference beat time template signal to a speaker for reproduction;
• and
• adjusting the strings of the secondary key such that when the fundamental key and the secondary key are struck simultaneously, the beat time of the struck keys is identical to the reference beat signal from the beat time template generating device.

A beat time template generating device for tuning a piano to equal temperament comprises:

• a control interface device comprising:
• a fundamental note selector for indicating which note of the piano is tuned to an accurate pitch or frequency, and
• a secondary note selector for indicating the note of the piano that is to be tuned relative to the fundamental note;
• a fundamental note register to receive and retain a digital code indicative of the frequency or pitch of the fundamental note
• a secondary note register to receive and retain a digital code indicative of the frequency or pitch of the secondary note;
• a fundamental note harmonic generator connected to the fundamental note register to receive digital code of the fundamental note and to generate a set of digital codes indicative of a set of the harmonics of the frequency of the fundamental note;
• a secondary note harmonic generator connected to the secondary note register to receive the digital code of the secondary note and to generate a set of digital codes indicative of a set of the harmonics of the frequency of the secondary note;
• a beat time calculator connected to receive the harmonic codes for the fundamental note and the harmonic codes for the secondary note to determine all the combinations of beat frequencies as a difference between the fundamental note and its harmonics and the secondary note and its harmonics to generate a set of all the beat frequency codes;
• and
• a beat time selector connected to the beat time calculator to receive the beat frequency codes to chose one beat time as a reference beat time template signal for reproduction.