>> Do many of you get asked to do that? I've heard that some orchestras >>have gone so much even above 442 that some of the instrumentalists have had >>to have special instruments built to be able to tune to it! >> >>Avery > >Only once for The Chieftans. They used the piano for, I think, 2 numbers. >Would anyone really have noticed 440?? > >Barb Barasa >Ashland, OR >"When nothing is sure, > Everything is possible." > > >Dear Barb, Avery et tous: As the piano technician for the Calgary Philharmonic and The Calgary Centre For Performing Arts for the past eleven years, I have been asked by a few artists to raise the pitch of the pianos from A442 for the Montreal Symphony, to as high as A445 for The Chieftans. We(the Maestro and myself) arrived at a very simple solution. When in Calgary, visiting orchestras will find the pianos in fine tune... at A440. As for the five visits to the concert hall by The Chieftans,(great people to work with),I tuned an old fork for them at their request to A445, then for the two or three tunes a piano is used we simply offered them an electronic piano with pitch control. Didn't bother them a bit, concerts always sold out, they sound wonderful,everybodys happy! As far as anyone noticing the pitch difference, I'm sure someone must or why the requests in the first place?!!!!! Having special instruments made to accomodate a raise in pitch ?? someone out there is making good dollars ......all for a few "cents". Regards, Bob Moffatt, IPT, CPT Calgary, Alberta Canada rm
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