Denver's 2nd Wednesday 11 a.m test What are SD-10's notes?

[Robert Gift]

I tune pipe organs.
Yet, I cannot discern what two tones are produced by that SD-10 we heard yesterday.
Is it a 5th - for example C and G?

At peak, the tones blended so well that all I could hear was the resultant.
(My wife thinks it looks like a garbage can.)

Thank you

[Daniel]

An SD-10 at normal speed sounds a C and an F, a perfect fourth.

[Robert Gift]

Thanks, Daniel.
I do remember that you recently kindly posted many sirens and their tones.
I thought maybe this SD-10 had a different ratio.
But you are right, it must be a perfect 4th unless they make an unusual 5th model. I must have been hearing an inversion of the 4th.

The resultant would be low F -two octaves below the higher note of the
perfect fourth C - F

My next question, do they do this to create a resultant which may travel farther than either of the two higher tones?

Thank you,

[Daniel]

I believe most dual tone sirens these days are built the way they are because of the resultant pitches. Sentry sticks by their rather un-melodic octave sirens for this reason. A friend of mine in Columbus, Nebraska, described their nearby major 5th Cyclone as sounding like a huge fart. I couldn't understand what he was talking about until I listened to some recordings of T-135's, which have strong and raspy harmonics at a distance. The very first 2T22 I had heard was about a mile away at the time, and the resultant Bb was so strong, it sounded like a Bb chord.

On another tangent, several years ago I drove once a month to Seaside to play the organ for Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Victory parish. They have a little Rodgers combination organ consisting of a rank of extended prinzipals (8,4,2,III) and electronic stops. The problem was that this 90 year old church is located three blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Cold, damp air is constantly pouring down the bell tower and flowing across the pipes, so I had to tune the danged pipes every time I drove out there. They had sliding caps which were easy to move but a little too loose, and they slipped whenever there was a vibration in the loft.

Back on topic, the sirens that I've seen in Seaside are two Model 5's and two STH-10s, all of which are too far from the cramped downtown to be heard. They sound an "F" for Federal, of course!

[Robert Gift]

Interesting about the organ, Daniel.
They should provide some better protection for the pipes.

Even with tighter "tuning collars" temperature changes will still cause them to migrate.

How funny that Federal Signal sirens produce an F.
I like that clever imagination.

Several years ago, my friend, a member of a gay church, asked me what the pitches of the bells should be for their 3 bell peal.

I recommended notes F, G and A.

[Daniel]

Several years ago, my friend, a member of a gay church, asked me what the pitches of the bells should be for their 3 bell peal.

I recommended notes F, G and A.

Sounds like a faaabulous combination! When I lived in Germany, my parish (Mater Dolorosa, Langenau) used F-G-A and I really liked the tonal effect. My current church is constructing a bell tower this year and it will have eight Dutch bells, the largest of which will be 7 feet in diameter. The notes will be, in descending order: D,C,A,G,F,D,C,A. All but the two smallest will be mounted for a swinging peal. It is a pentatonic setup that allows for a wide variety of peal combinations. I just hope that they ring them properly, i.e. starting the smallest (or largest) first and starting the others in descending (or ascending) order, rather than starting all of them at once (the old European alarm/air raid signal).

[Robert Gift]

Wow!
A 7 foot diameter A bell?
That one bell alone will be a fortune!
As will the C, D, and F bells.
Hope they will later use these bells in creating a chime - capable of playing music, then expand to a carillon -minimum of 23 bells.

Yes, a swinging peal should be done by hand and started on one bell then the others introduced one bell at a time.
Then all pulling ceased and they swing down to silence.

If they could create a diatonic scale, they could do change ringing.
Do they know about English change ringing?

[Daniel]

I don't know what the cost is, but the bells and tower were the gift of a benefactor. The bells will be swung with motors, except for the two smallest bells that will unfortunately be on solenoid strikers. There is no provision for a future carillon, as the church is part of a monastery and the bells are used for various calls to prayer throughout the day, plus certain feast days which are greater in solemnity and thus get more bells. We do things Swiss style here, not English.

[Robert Gift]

So close to having a chime.
And so close to having a Ring for Change Ringing.
Sad to be so limited when so close to music.

Also, sad they are motor swung.
One person could do all the swinging - or would that be too much fun to be theologically legal?

[Conky 2000]

So a 2T22 is a C-E, an SD-10 is C-F, would a 1000T be a C-G? Or would it be a higher octave, like F or G?