A 440 Hz Dtandard.

Fred Sturm fssturm@unm.edu
Wed, 14 Apr 2004 07:58:19 -0600


Hi RIchard,
	Yes, absolutely. I rent a harpsichord to various local orchestras, etc, 
and my standard is to tune to 441, based on years of experience with stage 
lights. It's the best compromise. Unfortunately, the brass strings change 
more than the steel ones, so the instrument doesn't end up in tune with 
itself, but it's better than if I started at 440 (the pitch ends up 
"around" - on both sides of - 440 by mid concert). Actually, I begin at 5 
cents sharp before the first rehearsal, and then taper off as I see what I 
find when I get back to re-tune. I am not changing from the standard of 
440, just approaching it in a practical matter. (BTW, a cold breeze - open 
door in winter - will instantly raise harpsichord pitch by a cent or more, 
same unevenness from brass to steel).
	I know a lot of folks who do the same or similar with concert grands, for 
the same reason. I generally aim for plus 1.5 cents and allow it to float 
as low as minus 1.5 cents or plus 2 cents before doing a global pitch 
adjustment. Better stability that way, and partly accounts for stage 
lights. And well within PTG standards <g> (referring to the tuning exam).
	One of the real problems with pitch change due to lights is that the 
copper on the bass strings absorb the heat faster, and the bass strings go 
out of tune farther and faster as a result. Same thing with a hot breeze 
(forced air furnace) or sunlight falling directly on the strings.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico


--On Tuesday, April 13, 2004 5:22 PM -0500 Richard West <rwest1@unl.edu> 
wrote:

> 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
>>
>>
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