Pitch in Paris ca. 1860

[David Vanderhoofven]

I have a question which is probably pretty stupid.  How can you tell from 
the scale what pitch to choose?  What is a short scale, and what is a long 
scale?  Is it possible to tell the difference without doing a lot of 
precise measuring?

Does a long scale mean a lower pitch?  And does a short scale mean a higher 
pitch?  Why is this so?

Thanks!
David Vanderhoofven
Joplin, MO

At 04:46 PM 4/28/2005, you wrote:
>Well, I'm just trying to establish a likely pitch for my piano. It 
>certainly feels good at 440, and with the info I've gotten so far, it 
>looks like Pleyel's pitch at the time was even higher. The short scale of 
>the piano supports this conclusion.
>
>Calin Tantareanu