A440 or A432 tuning

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

Granted, most of the time I tune to Drop B, and I'm sure a lot of you guys tune other than standard.
​​​​​​

But Today I actually tuned a guitar A-432 after watching a short insta reel about how it's musically synergistic to be in A-432, whereas 440 is very dissonant. I adjusted my tuner to stay there as well.

I was actually a little taken back by the way the instrument felt, and sounded. It sort of came alive... Like enough that I became an instant believer.
Tuned easier, sounded way better.

Now I think I'll figure out how to tune Drop B a little lower and see if I can find that beauty there as well.

How many of y'all already knew this?

 

[beaubrummels]

X - Know about it, but haven't tried it

 

[ehdwuld]

Tried it
like it
Not that much different from standard 440

Where you can tell, is when one member of the group is in 432 and everyone else is 440

All in or all out

if you are tuning to drop D or E flat what ever
doesn't make any difference

If A is 440 in either your tunings then one person centering at 432 will sound different

I tried it once and watched a Paul Davids video
and some others on the topic

It is unique to the ear at first but after some time the ear adapts and 440 will sound more pleasent

Have you seen the video on the history of 440 and 432?

I think Paul touched on it

When some European Orchestra came over to play with the NY philharmonic. They sounded awful together

And Europe had adopted 440 as A
Because each country was using something different

America was using 432

The world adopted the standard 440
Amazing that Murica would adopt a global standard ain't it.

If I was doing a solo coffee house gig
Or busking with a single instrument
Sure 432 would make sense

But if you plan to gig with a group of people
Whose instruments may not be capable of 432
trument440 should be where you reside

 

[Mincer]

I play with lots of other people and do sessions and stuff, so that wouldn't work at all for me.

 

[ICTGoober]

I have a couple clients (mostly jazz players) who insist on it.

 

[Ascension]

I know several folks who use it. Have tuned to it and it does have a different feel. Seems to be a little easier to listen to when a band is all tuned to it for some reason. I kinda like it but play with so many different folks it's not practical because A 440 is the standard for me to tune my guitars with trems to it because I would have to set them up for it.

 

[Artie]

X - Know about it, but haven't tried it

Same here. But I have enough guitars that I could try it, to see (hear) what it's all about.

 

[Seashore]

I just finished up recording leads and solos for band that uses A432. We're going to keep writing together so I have a couple instruments set aside for it. I think the slightly lower tension makes the feel and attack just a little different when you're playing. I prefer playing in 440 because it's just that smidgen tighter and I guess it's what I'm used to. But I only feel that way because I had a few guitars out and tried them back to back. If you handed me a random guitar tuned to A432 I wouldn't even know, I'm sure I've played stuff way more out of whack from the wall at Guitar Center.

Funny thing though. I kept my favorite guitar tuned up to 440 for a different project, and I wanted to try playing some of the solos on it just for fun but didn't want to bother retuning. I jammed over the recording for a while and my brain followed the lead lines and sort of "interpreted" the recorded tracks (obviously out of tune in some spots but surprisingly easy to ignore for most of it). When I stopped playing, it took a quarter of a second or so for my brain to adjust without the guide tones of my lead guitar, and the effect was like the whole album got tuned down at once. Like lowering the speed on a vinyl very slightly. I'm putting the "psycho" in psychoacoustics.

 

[Seashore]

(I do just want to add that although I don't think the 432Hz thing holds any water, I do think some instruments respond better and feel more balanced at different tunings, and if tuning down that little bit makes your guitar feel better, that's great and it's worth sticking with.)

 

[jeremy]

ive done it before and it was cool, but when playing with others its not practical

 

[Rex_Rocker]

ive done it before and it was cool, but when playing with others its not practical

Or jaming along with other songs or tracks or whatever.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Years ago I had one of my bands tune to 432. I think it felt better and actually I'm pretty sure I'd still prefer it.
But it's simpler and much easier to be in tune with the rest of the world.
For me the difference was more pronounced in the vocals than the guitar parts.

Did a couple of reunion shows in NYC a few years ago and the other guitarist insisted on standard 440.
Again, the vocal parts didn't have the same feel.
Had a harder time with the high harmonies too - but of course I was 25 years older by then.

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

It could very well be my specific instrument that just sounds better in that tuning. I have a few guitars like that, this instrument also sounds really dull with 9s and amazing with 10s.

I totally get that when playing with others y'all have to be tuned the same, and some tuners accommodate 432, some don't.
My phone app (Boss ) makes it easy, but my korg pitch black (pedal) will only go as low as 436.

Interestingly, Ride the Lightning was all recorded at 444, and it's always driven me a little crazy ha ha. Whenever is play along I would instantly have to tune up to them....(Or adjust my tape deck speed if I felt like being lazy)


Another point, it only takes a few seconds to retune a guitar. :beerchug: I say give it a shot and see if it works for you and your ears or not.

 

[Securb]

For me it is just one more thing that can go wrong. Someone forgots to calibrate their tuner and everything sounds off. I do not see the benefit outweighing the potential problems.

 

[jeremy]

It could very well be my specific instrument that just sounds better in that tuning. I have a few guitars like that, this instrument also sounds really dull with 9s and amazing with 10s.

I totally get that when playing with others y'all have to be tuned the same, and some tuners accommodate 432, some don't.
My phone app (Boss ) makes it easy, but my korg pitch black (pedal) will only go as low as 436.

Interestingly, Ride the Lightning was all recorded at 444, and it's always driven me a little crazy ha ha. Whenever is play along I would instantly have to tune up to them....(Or adjust my tape deck speed if I felt like being lazy)


Another point, it only takes a few seconds to retune a guitar. :beerchug: I say give it a shot and see if it works for you and your ears or not.

was it actually recorded at 444 or did they speed up the tape?

 

[Mincer]

was it actually recorded at 444 or did they speed up the tape?

Like a lot of things back then, I'd go with improper tape speed or mastering that changed the pitch.

 

[xxxplorer]

I prefer it. But I play with so many different people on a whim and nobody else tunes to 432. So... 440 it is on all but one of my instruments. But I do like it a bit better.

 

[Chistopher]

I view guitar as an inherently imperfect instrument. What good is perfection if my ears were trained to enjoy flawed sounds?

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

was it actually recorded at 444 or did they speed up the tape?

I heard they recorded it that way on purpose because it made them sound faster.

 

[GuitarStv]

I use A440 because any other number means you're not actually tuned up properly and it won't sound right when you play with others.