One additional twist on this thread comes from a visiting harpsichordist some years ago. He requested 441. When I asked him why, he said that by having the pitch there, the pitch would never fall below 440 no matter what the heat of the lights on the stage might do to the strings/soundboard. Harpsichords do drop in pitch when the stage lights come on. I would imagine a piano does the same perhaps to a lesser degree. It seemed like an interesting perspective and one I could subscribe to. In a backdoor way it actually upholds the 440 pitch standard. It may help instrumentalists who may have trouble tuning to a piano/harpsichord if it sags below 440 during a performance. Having said that I try to keep the concert instruments at 440 (with just stage worklights, not the full showtime lighting) and allow practice rooms to float (+ or - 4 cents). Richard West University of Nebraska James Ellis wrote: >The comments I find on this list re this subject are most interesting. I >notice that there are those who see it as a means of making more bucks, and >others who see it as a matter principle. This gets to me just like those >55-MPH speed limits on some very crowded sections of Interstate where you >will get rear-ended by a big truck if you drive less than 80. Why on earth >have a standard if you don't plan to abide by it? > >In a private home, I just let the pitch float around 440, + or -, if there >is no reason to do otherwise, and it comes right back close to the same >place the same time next year. In a teaching studio, a church, or a >concert hall, it's an entirely different matter. It's a matter of common >sense, as I see it. > >Thanks for all your comments. > >Jim Ellis > > >_______________________________________________ >caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > >
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