<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: [CAUT] A440 percussion</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1491" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Alan, the"spread" is the intonation = naturally reached for at the extremes of the pitch range and soloists. In = general soloists like to "sharpen up" so that they sound more brilliant, but = there is a tolerance range where we, as listeners, don't perceive this as out of = tune just as your perception of what you knew to be an out of tune piano wasn't disturbing. Also some higher pitched instruments "edge up" their = tuning slightly and the lower ones down alittle bit but this is not calculated = it is more perceptual. I might say it is more a tendency than a = tuning, if you will. Players react like this at light speed to make things sound = more"in tune." Yes, lights are effective pitch changers, although just = playing shouldn't cause that kind of heat, but maybe if the player's body = temperature raises to the point that it affects the humidity in the air, which I = have questioned on occasion, there is a slim possibility that this could be = the culprit. Chris Solliday</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black">From: <A title=amccoy@mail.ewu.edu = href="mailto:amccoy@mail.ewu.edu">Alan McCoy</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">To: <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org>">College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org></A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 = 1:21 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">Subject: Re: [CAUT] A440 = percussion</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>Hey Chris, Could you elaborate on the = tuning “spread” you referred to? I just tuned for the orchestra here = (Markus Groh, a friendly and astute fellow and fabulous pianist, playing Liszt #1 in = the first half and “Totentanz” the second half) and was onstage at = intermission touching up a few unisons. I had touched up the piano off stage about 5pm = leaving it at A-440 except the tenor was a couple cents sharp. Went out during = intermission and the mid-range was 3c flat (fun with heat and lights!). I heard = zero intonation problems between orchestra and piano from where I sat. = There is definitely and thankfully some “tolerance” as to perceived pitch. = Hard to anticipate just how much the beast is going to change with the heat. = As I was onstage seeing that the pitch had sagged I also wondered if just = playing the piano hard (ala Liszt) warms it up and contributes to a lower pitch. = Anyone know? Alan -- Alan McCoy, RPT Eastern Washington University amccoy@mail.ewu.edu 509-359-4627 <HR align=center width="95%" SIZE=3> From: Chris Solliday <solliday@ptd.net> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>" <caut@ptg.org> Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:59:25 = -0400 To: "College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>" <caut@ptg.org> Subject: Re: [CAUT] A440 = percussion Wim, check my earlier post for rationale but one thing to note is that the = tuning "spread" in a "good" orchestra is aprox 10 cents. Kind of a nice = stretch. Maybe they weren't thinking, that usually works. Chris Solliday <BLOCKQUOTE> ----- Original Message -----   From:  Wimblees@aol.com     To: caut@ptg.org =   Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 5:46  PM   Subject: = Re: [CAUT] A440 percussion     In a = message dated 4/21/2005 12:37:00 P.M. Central Standard Time, jim_busby@byu.edu writes:   <BLOCKQUOTE>List, Our percussion teacher told me (this = week) that all new  percussion (marimbas, Xylophones, etc.) are now = coming at A442, and that  if you want A440 it is now special order. = He didn't tell me which  companies, just the ones he = typically orders from. Jim Busby =  BYU _______________________________________________ </= SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>   I found = out about this a couple of months ago when the harp player told  me she = tunes to 442 to be in tune with the percussion  instruments. But the = oboe plays 440, and no one has asked me to tune  the piano to 442.       For those orchestras that tune to = 440, but use mallet instruments tuned  to 442, doesn't the conductor = complain these instruments aren't in tune  with the rest of the = orchestra?       This get's me to wondering if = those who seem to be so worried about it,  really know if the orchestra = is tuned to 442 or 440? Personally I think it is  just a case of "I want = to be different", and/or "I am sooooo good, that I can  tell the = difference", when perhaps they really can't. =       Wim       Willem  Blees, RPT Piano Technician School of Music University of  Alabama </BLOCKQUOTE> </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>