After observing the discussion on floating pitch and 440 vs other pitches, I thought I should weigh in with my 1/12th ditonic comma on this. It was I who coined the term "to fork or to float" as a title for the symposium at the 1994 convention in Kansas City, in hopes of getting some good discussion going on the topic, and I'm very happy to see this dialogue develop. I think it's obvious that both the decision to "float" pitch vs. pitching to the fork every time out, as well as the decisions about *how* to float the pitch once you've made the first decision--all these things hinge on where you live, what kind of work you do, and what kind of musicians you work for or with. Here in Seattle, I can float pitch up to 8 cents either way in most settings, and not get complaints. Even in most concert situations, I can float up to 4 cents either way and not get complaints. But I don't automatically let the piano float to these limits. Each case requires analysis: who's playing, what will the coming months or weeks bring in terms of humidity changes, what is ultimately going to be best for the piano and for the musicians? I agree with whoever said that there isn't a great time to tune a piano, and I'm sure that this holds even truer in other climates than it does here in mild Seattle. I have one client who just can't bring himself to have his 7'4" grand tuned, because the humidity in his house is always changing (he has a humidity gauge on the wall). I tell him, "just have it tuned four times a year and don't worry about it," but he seems obsessed with maximizing the value he gets from the tuning fee. We'll set up appts. and he'll call to cancel because x, y, or z happened or is going to happen the next day. The suggestion to sell the client a humidity control system is a good one, and I'm going to try that with this guy soon. Regarding wind players, I think it really depends on who the player is, and maybe more importantly, what the specific head joint or mouthpiece is like. I agree that double-reed players tend to like the pitch sharper rather than flatter, but flute players and clarinetists, at least the ones I work with, don't like the pitch to get too sharp. It's easier for them to tune flat than sharp. Where wind players are involved, I try to stay as close to 440 as humanly possible. I do have to tune to 442 for an international music festival each June. Some of the musicians have very discriminating ears, and can actually tell by how their violins sound when tuned to my piano, whether I've pitched it at 442 or something flatter. Other than that one festival, I'm able to discourage would-be 442ers by explaining the extra cost they'll incur, like Newton does. Thanks for all the great input. Steve _____________________ Steve Brady, RPT "Chaos is the law of nature; order is the University of Washington dream of man." --Henry Adams sbrady@u.washington.edu
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