Thine Hallow Pitche

Joe & Penny Goss imatunr@primenet.com
Fri, 2 Mar 2001 18:39:03 -0700


Hi David,
Violins or any string instrument will have no problem but that is not the
case for the woodwinds and brass. I would have to get another tuba to play
at A444 as the instrument plays at A442when the tuning slide  is all the way
in and the horn warmed up.
Also the orchestra bells are a set tuning and change with the hear only a
little. I always wondered why they sounded out of tune <G> perhaps they are
tuned for Europ at A442.
Joe Goss
imatunr@primenet.com
http://www.primenet.com/~imatunr/

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey@jps.net>
To: "pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: Thine Hallow Pitche


> With my symphony customers who are playing at 442 in the concert hall, 442
seems very appropriate for their home...;-]
> If these same customers wanted 440 one time and 442 the next I would
suspect you would have a problem...
> Any change of 8 cents is going mean some instability.  That means going
through the piano twice and more $ from the customer.  If it needs to come
back down it will need tuning twice and more $ again.  Our symphony here in
San Francisco tunes to A442, mainly because of the former concert master's
insistance...I believe.  Question:  wouldn't it be a pain for other
instrumentalists to switch between 440 and 442?  Don't violins have to be
set up for the different pitches?
>
> I think most tuners would have no problem with A442 if everyone would
stick to it.  But then we would have musician "purists" insisting upon the
old standard of A440 and remarking about how much better it sounds there.
>
> David I.
>
> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
> On 3/1/01 at 6:24 PM Kristinn Leifsson wrote:
>
> >O.K.  Carol wrote about the pitch thing.
> >
> >We normally tune to A440, but the symphony tunes to A442  We donīt take
> >them as far as A444 (unless perhaps when stock tuning new pianos). I
heard
> >A444, is concert standard in Austria and the Czech Rep., but thatīs
> >another
> >matter.
> >I have customers that play in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and I donīt
> >hesitate to bring a piano up to 442, as long as the strings etc. are
> >healthy.  In fact, any time I tune a piano I ask whether there are other
> >instruments going to be used with it.
> >
> >I have NEVER had a problem resulting from tuning an instrument to A442.
> >There has never been a broken string at a concert I have tuned for.
> >
> >So whatīs the deal with the holy pitch?  Are there many tuners out there
> >that will absolutely NOT bring a piano above A440,
> >and will -quote- "sooner quit their jobs than do it" -unquote- (hi
> >Carol).  Iīm not talking about whether to charge more etc.  just the
> >principle of the thing.  I know this has been covered many times before,
> >but please.
> >
> >Carol knows that I think itīs ridiculous, if the instrument is healthy.
> ><g>  What do other people think?  And what about other Europeans?
> >
> >
> >Kristinn "Psychotuner" Leifsson
> >Reykjavík, Iceland
>
>
>
>



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