On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:46:09 EDT Wimblees@aol.com wrote: > > I found out about this a couple of months ago when the >harp player told me > she tunes to 442 to be in tune with the percussion >instruments. But the oboe > plays 440, and no one has asked me to tune the piano to >442. > >For those orchestras that tune to 440, but use mallet >instruments tuned to > 442, doesn't the conductor complain these instruments >aren't in tune with the > rest of the orchestra? > > This get's me to wondering if those who seem to be so >worried about it, > really know if the orchestra is tuned to 442 or 440? >Personally I think it is > just a case of "I want to be different", and/or "I am >sooooo good, that I can > tell the difference", when perhaps they really can't. > > Wim > > Willem Blees, RPT > Piano Technician > School of Music > University of Alabama > Well, Wim, do remember that most orchestra members have some kind of electronic tuner these days. Not up to our standards in accuracy, but definitely capable of discerning the difference between 440 and 442. So virtually any orchestra member could know with a fair degree of precision what the pitch is, regardless of the precision of their "perfect pitch." Furthermore, any wind player would be able to tell just by how the instrument responds in trying to match pitch, and string players are well attuned to how their instruments sound (timbre) at various pitches. I think you would find that the vast majority of professional orchestra members would know quite well what pitch the piano had been tuned to. As for the audience or the critics, that's a different question <g> Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico
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