[CAUT] A440 percussion

[Alan McCoy]

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Hey Chris,

Could you elaborate on the tuning =B3spread=B2 you referred to? I just tuned fo=
r
the orchestra here (Markus Groh, a friendly and astute fellow and fabulous
pianist, playing Liszt #1 in the first half and =B3Totentanz=B2 the second half=
)
and was onstage at intermission touching up a few unisons. I had touched up
the piano off stage about 5pm leaving it at A-440 except the tenor was a
couple cents sharp. Went out during intermission and the mid-range was 3c
flat (fun with heat and lights!). I heard zero intonation problems between
orchestra and piano from where I sat. There is definitely and thankfully
some =B3tolerance=B2 as to perceived pitch. Hard to anticipate just how much th=
e
beast is going to change with the heat. As I was onstage seeing that the
pitch had sagged I also wondered if just playing the piano hard (ala Liszt)
warms it up and contributes to a lower pitch. Anyone know?

Alan


-- Alan McCoy, RPT
Eastern Washington University
amccoy@mail.ewu.edu
509-359-4627



From: Chris Solliday <solliday@ptd.net>
Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>" <caut@ptg.org=
>
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:59:25 -0400
To: "College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>" <caut@ptg.org>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] A440 percussion

Wim, check my earlier post for rationale but one thing to note is that the
tuning "spread" in a "good" orchestra is aprox 10 cents. Kind of a nice
stretch. Maybe they weren't thinking, that usually works. Chris Solliday
> =20
> ----- Original Message -----
> =20
> From:  Wimblees@aol.com
> =20
> To: caut@ptg.org=20
> =20
> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 5:46  PM
> =20
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] A440 percussion
> =20
>=20
> =20
> =20
> In a message dated 4/21/2005 12:37:00 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> jim_busby@byu.edu writes:
> =20
>> List,
>>=20
>> Our percussion teacher told me (this week) that all new  percussion
>> (marimbas, Xylophones, etc.) are now coming at A442, and that  if you
>> want A440 it is now special order. He didn't tell me which  companies,
>> just the ones he typically orders from.
>>=20
>> Jim Busby  BYU
>> _______________________________________________
> =20
> =20
> 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.
> =20
> =20
> =20
> 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  wit=
h the
> rest of the orchestra?
> =20
> =20
> =20
> 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 i=
t 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.
> =20
> =20
> =20
> Wim =20
> =20
> =20
> Willem  Blees, RPT
> Piano Technician
> School of Music
> University of  Alabama



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