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No, no.. Not the people who like your music. Those are a good thing.
I'm talking about the fans in computers, air conditioners, furnaces. Especially when I'm playing unplugged electric (which is pretty quiet), some fans have a pitch and it can throw off my pitch sense a bit sometimes.
Like when the CPU cooler in my desktop kicks into high gear, it is an F that is about 5 Hz flat. If I'm not careful, I'll find myself flatting the F when I play to not be out of tune with the computer fan. Which, unfortunately, isn't actually tuned at a musical pitch, so my intonation can go out of whack for a bit.
Why can't they just put fine tuners on all noise producing appliances, out of consideration for us musicians? LOL
Does anyone else ever run into this problem?
One of my solutions (other than getting away from non-musical appliances and fans) is to put on headphones playing a reference pitch at low volume, so I have something that is in tune to focus on.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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I don't have this problem Daniel. But I find it interesting. I am surprised at what non violin and outside pitches my iphone can capture when recording.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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Hahhaha nope, just you. Eh, consider yourself special lol.
Opportunity is often missed because it wears suspenders and looks like hard work.
Hahahahahaaaa! Nice one!
Not fans, but my washing machine drives me crazy when i play in kitchen (where it stands), LOL!
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Can't say I've ever noticed this problem, but then I often find that I don't even notice background noise like that until it stops.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
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Me too Diane. You get used to it and forget about it until it's silent and you think "WOW" it's so nice when it's really quiet.
One problem I have is that if it's too quiet I here my tinnitus which can drive me nuts. Too many years playing with loud symphony orchestras 
One thing that I have noticed with my new hobby, (sailing) is that the satisfaction of turning off the engine and moving on mother natures own natural drives (wind) is a real high. The noise is just right for me. No tinnitus but just enough sound to be completely relaxed, providing there are no storms.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I don't have that problem Dan.
When I'm playing I can 'tune out' other sounds, even music. I often play with the tv going in the background and no matter what is on, even if it's rather loud music, I just shut it out.
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying????
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Ok, so I'm a weirdo on this situation.. 
LOL That doesn't surprise me, but I figured I'd check. LOL
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Not a weirdo Dan... I seems to block it out. Until like others have mentioned... once it is off I feel "awh".... almost like it was bugging me before but I did not realize it. 
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
When I read your topic "annoying fans" I thought, ok are the fans (people) annoying you while you play? or is your playing annoying the fans??? (I think that's what my playing does!)
The only time a fan bothers me is if I'm trying to record straight into my computer... the darn thing always choose that time to make some weird fan... or who knows what...sound. Otherwise I think I make so much racket myself I don't hear the outside sounds.
Fiddlerman - I like the picture of sailing just under wind power. There is something so sweet about the sound of pure nature. I've been wanting to go down to the ocean and play with the sound of the surf, and the seagulls to accompany me... but our beaches here are so crowded I know I'd end up with the sounds of kids, and boomboxes
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Ginnysg - I live in one of the busiest beaches in the world and if I get up super early, right before sunrise, I can find areas of the beach with no people.
Super cool, and super weird..... How is it possible. Probably one of the nicest times to be on the beach too.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I am overdue for a trip to the beach... I am wondering if I would be foolish to go this Friday the Fourth.. hummmm... if I went at five.. I could be there by 6:30 am...
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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Well, I found a work-around or solution.
Days have been hot lately, so I put a twin window fan in. Which is even louder, and is just a bit flat (about 2 Hz) from an E..
So the solution? Tune to A 438 for the summer. Then the "out of tune" fan becomes a nice practice drone generator! LOL I'm not a "perfect pitch" person, I have a decent "relative pitch". So alternate tunings are something I can get used to quick enough, and tuning down a tiny bit doesn't put any strain on the instruments.
It was only actually being a problem when playing unplugged electric, anyway. Acoustic and most other instruments are plenty loud enough for a fan in the background to not be an issue. But unplugged electric violin is rather quiet, and sometimes can be hard to make out even over everyday household sounds.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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LOL
Great idea Toni!
I don't know about that Daniel. ROFL
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Honorary advisor
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Most modern computer fans are pretty quiet these days. For example in my newest 64 bit quad core machine I can barely hear the fan at all. Now, my old 32 bit single core Dell desktop machine is another story. During the winter the fan runs quiet but during the summer months when it's running hot it's quite noisy. either way it doesn't seem to affect my playing. In summer often practice with the air conditioner running, a fan running, and a movie to tv show in the background. I just seem to be able to shut them out and hear only my music.
Reminds me of an advertisement for air conditioners from back in the 1970's. Their pitch was how quiet their air conditioners run. it featured the late Arthur Fiedler, conductor of the Boston Pops. He was playing his piano and I remember his saying, "I don't want to hear my air conditioning, I want to hear my music."
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