What are “beats?” How are “beats” used in tuning pairs of Balinese instruments and Western pianos? (Include an explanation of “tempered” Western tuning in your answer.)
What will be an ideal response?
• Beats or pulsations are the result of intentionally tuning two sound sources—such as two Balinese gamelan instruments or two tones on a Western piano—so that the pitch of one of the sources will be just slightly higher (or lower) than the "same" pitch on the other sound source. Playing the two slightly "out of tune" sources together produces these special "beats" or pulsations (very fast vibrations).
• In the case of Balinese instruments, the resulting beats give a desirable shimmering quality to the gamelan ensemble. In the case of the Western piano, the special sound of these beats is used to guide the piano tuner as he/she "tempers" the tuning.
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