May I add some thoughts to support that ear training is developed using relative pitch, not A440. 1) As a professional clarinetist I see C, play C, think C, but it sounds Bb 200 cents lower, Thus the name Bb clarinet. On alto sax I play C, think C, but sound Eb, thus the name Eb alto sax. All wind sections in our orchestras trained many thousands of hours thinking relative pitch. 2) My high school band tuned to a machine, A440 But the relative pitch was terrible, I learned not to listen. That hurt. 3) The piano I grew up with had a bad block. It was at 440, but unisions would go, the bass would slip flat. I learned not to listen. That hurt. A well tuned instrument at A435 is much preferred for ear training over a bad tuning at A440. 4) Many of my professional musician clients that claim to have "perfect pitch" are surprised to learn that our Montreal Symphony tunes to A442. If A440 is so important to perfect pitch why have so many of them not noticed this ever before. One of them was a university ear training teacher for a while,and does have perfect pitch in as much as can tell the key a piece is played in. Some European orchestras are at A445 Some local "perfect pitch" gurus have never seemed to notice. Mind you a few do. I know a couple people who can differentiate 440-442 cold.This is much more rare then those that demonstrate "perfect pitch" naming notes. In conclusion. A440 is the standard. The standard is important, but not sacred. The standard is to be strived for, but not at the cost of leaving a child disadvantaged with a piano that will settle funky and not be tuned again for a couple years. If the piano was not tuned for 10 years, perhaps it will not be done again soon. I may compromise the standard somewhat. My priority is to leave a stable,in tune instrument for the student. If they do tune it again within the year, and it is a piano I only raised part way, I will bring it up all the way for I have faith they will follow it up and take care of it. Its an approach that works for me. Cheers Dave Renaud RPT Canada ______________________________________________________________________ Web-hosting solutions for home and business! http://website.yahoo.ca
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