Aquallegro Help > Modules

# Aural Skills - Tuning

Learn to tune two tones.

### Setup
Accuracy Use this slider to select how close to the correct answer the user must be for the question to be counted as correct. Note Length Use this slider to make the notes play longer than the standard note length. This is useful because tuning requires closer listening than other aural skills. Also require user to match pitch Usually, the quiz automatically sets the note the user is tuning to be the same note (but not the same tuning) as the note they are trying to match. Checking this box will require the user to first make the two notes match in pitch, and then also match in tuning. Display tuning Checking this box will display what pitch and tuning the note is currently set to. This is useful for comparing your answer with the correct answer. Use just intonation Checking this box will cause the quiz to use just intonation (as opposed to equal temperament) when checking answers. It is strongly recommended that you keep this box checked; in most music, intervals should be tuned using just intonation. Play tuning when sliders are changed Checking this box will make the note the user is affecting automatically play whenever the user changes its pitch or tuning. Show exact answer If the Accuracy slider is set to a reasonable number and you guess very close to the correct tuning, the question will be counted right, even if you were not exactly correct. Checking this box will display how close you were and whether you were a little sharp or a little flat with your guess. Intervals Use these checkboxes to decide whether you want to tune notes to the same pitch (unison) or to various intervals.

### Learning to Tune
Cents The term "cents" is often used in the tuning quiz. A cent is defined as 1/100th of a whole step (an equal temperament whole step, that is). Therefore, 50 cents is a half step, 25 is a quarter step, and so on. Beat Tuning A useful technique for more intricate tuning is beat tuning. When two tones are very similar to one another, their sound waves will interfere and create slight fluctuations in volume known as "beats." These beats are faster the farther apart notes are from one another, and slower the closer notes are. If you are able to tune the notes well enough, you should be able to listen closely and hear these beats. Then, through trial and error, you can determine which way to move the slider based on how fast the beats are. When the beats get so slow they disappear, you have tuned the two tones perfectly. This is the best method to use when trying to tune to be accurate within a cent.