440 "plus or minus"

[PSLOANE@OCVAXA.CC.OBERLIN.EDU]

At Oberlin, our ensembles all tune to 440; likewise does the Cleveland
Orchestra, which plays here twice a year. However, our large ensembles
(and the Cleveland Orchestra) usually play in a hall with no humidity
control. The piano there, of course, is a victim of the vicissitudes of a
great lakes environment, including "Alberta Clippers" (horrendous cold
fronts), tropical summers, and the infamous "Lake Effect". Pitch fluctu-
ation with the piano is a given, and for stability's sake, rather than change
the pitch of the piano all the time, I will tune at other than 440. The
degree to which I will deviate from 440 is a funtion of the usage. If a
violinist is playing with the piano, I will let it go quite sharp, as long
as there is no contract clause stipulating 440. I sometimes mention that
 the piano is alittle sharp, mentioning stability as being my motive, but
not always. I sort of "play this by ear".

For some reason, I hate to let a piano go flat to any degree, but I have
tuned pianos for performance that were 0.5 HZ or so flat. As with the violin
in the example I described above, any instrument that does not have a
theoretical fixed pitch, pitch reference can be variable. Watch out for the doble
double reeds; they don't have much flexibility in changing their overall
pitch, and when they try, it usually messes up their relative intonation. The
clarinet is similar but not as bad.

So much for true confessions. The above may sound somewhat scandalous, but I
can't remember ever getting a complaint about pitch reference in regard to
a concert tuning at Oberlin.

Ken Sloane, Oberlin Conservatory