Final answer:
To tune a musical instrument, professionals use a reference pitch, usually from a tuning fork, and adjust the instrument's strings to match the reference frequency, often utilizing beats to determine the accuracy of the tuning.
Step-by-step explanation:
To tune a musical instrument such as a piano or guitar, professionals use a tuning fork or another reference pitch to achieve the correct frequency. For instance, piano tuners listen for beats between the pitch produced by a string and the reference pitch from a tuning fork. If a piano string and a tuning fork with a frequency of 256 Hz produce beats, it indicates a difference in frequency. By adjusting the tension of the string until the beats disappear, the piano tuner ensures that the string matches the frequency of the tuning fork. This process often involves trial and error, where adjustments are made to the string and the presence of beats is re-evaluated to determine if the correct pitch has been reached.
Furthermore, the size of a musical instrument is related to the pitch it produces—smaller instruments tend to create higher-pitched sounds due to shorter wavelengths, whereas larger instruments generate lower-pitched sounds with longer wavelengths. Tuning a musical instrument requires understanding this relationship between size, wavelength, and pitch.