# Evaluating a musical note
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 13, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557 "2015-04-13T12:01:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/1 "2015-04-13T12:01:21Z")
To start with I know nothing about music but am building a 38 key xylophone for my sons outdoor garden. 1" stainless steel tubes, the longest tube is about 24" long.
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I bought a little tuning device to measure the note and ajust the length of the tubes, the majority of the notes I can get right on but there are several that seem to float a little plus and a little minus of where they are supposed to be. I am looking for an acceptable tolerance level. The scale measures up to 50 points below and above the note. My largest tolerance so far is about 5 points, is this acceptable?
My son also suggested yesterday he may want to have the keys hanging vertical. When I drill the hole to hang them does the hole have to be in the vibration node?
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### Author:  [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/2 "2015-04-13T13:16:09Z")
I assume by “points” you mean “cents” (hundredths of a half step). Most people can’t tell the difference at 5 cents. It’s probably not good enough for an orchestral xylophone ([this](http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1537695/Tuning_Unisions_tolerance.html) suggests that for piano tuners, one cent is the maximum “acceptable” variance for unisons), but for an outdoor garden, I’d think it would be fine.
I don’t know much about xylophones, but I assume you want to hang it from a node if you want to avoid damping.
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### Author:  [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/3 "2015-04-13T13:26:01Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#):
>
> I assume by “points” you mean “cents” (hundredths of a half step). Most people can’t tell the difference at 5 cents. It’s probably not good enough for an orchestral xylophone ([this](http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1537695/Tuning_Unisions_tolerance.html) suggests that for piano tuners, one cent is the maximum “acceptable” variance for unisons), but for an outdoor garden, I’d think it would be fine.
>
> I don’t know much about xylophones, but I assume you want to hang it from a node if you want to avoid damping.
Thanks for the quick response. I originaly had planned to have them laying flat and laid out like a marimba but my son has suggested we hang them vertical now.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/4 "2015-04-13T14:18:31Z")
Just curious–will drilling a hole cause a difference in tone?
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### Author:  [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/5 "2015-04-13T14:54:56Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#):
>
> Just curious–will drilling a hole cause a difference in tone?
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Once I locate the node and drill there it shouldn't but I will let you know once I start drilling.
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/6 "2015-04-13T18:21:04Z")
I’d think you’ll get bigger variations than 5 cents/points from temperature changes alone, so working to get it closer than that probably isn’t worth it. But that’s a guess; I can’t find a study on the effect of temperature.
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### Author:  [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaluating-a-musical-note/717557/7 "2015-04-13T20:24:56Z")
I set them up on a bed of light foam with no holes drilled. When I went back and rechecked them only 2 were not perfect. The tone is beautiful but stainless steel seems to just go on forever, it sounds a bit too churchy. I am going to experiemnt with the foam density of the bed they lie on to see if I can slightly deaden them.