<DIV>As a retired free-lance orchestral player, I agree also with Ric's comments, Dean.  But I think you're comparing apples with walnuts when wondering about the need to set A440 for the tuning exam...this is an exam, not a real-life situation.  It is testing one's ability to control the pitch...to set it exactly (well, within small tolerances, anyway) where the exam says it must be.  Indeed, the exam as a whole was never meant to be a real-life situation, only an assessment of one's ability to tune that instrument to a given, known standard.  It doesn't speak to the art of tuning or the musicality of tuning but rather, to the technique of tuning, which should be solid in order to be able to tune in a musical, artistic manner.  Whether one would ever tune a piano to the specifications set forth in the tuning exam isn't the question...or the answer.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV>Stan Ryberg</DIV> <DIV>Barrington IL</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Astute comments. Makes me wonder why getting A so exact to 440 for the tuning exam is so critical. Dean Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 Terre Haute IN  47802 -----Original Message----- From: <A href="http://us.f810.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pianotech-bounces@ptg.org&YY=39708&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&order=up&sort=date&pos=0">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A> [mailto:<A href="http://us.f810.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pianotech-bounces@ptg.org&YY=39708&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&order=up&sort=date&pos=0">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A>] On Behalf Of Richard Brekne Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 6:58 PM To: <A href="http://us.f810.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pianotech@ptg.org&YY=39708&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&order=up&sort=date&pos=0">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Subject: A=440 was Tuning Just saw the bit about getting exactly a 440.... and had to offer an observation which has become increasingly obvious with each passing year.  In practice... musicians seem nearly without exception totally inept, incapable and downright ignorant of what 440 really is.  In reality as long as you say you have tuned at 440, and have some device that shows 440 for A... even if its rigged... pitch can float anywhere between 438 and 442 and nearly no-one is capable of reacting.  A rare exception.. Orchestras are the absolute worst.... they nearly all have fast tuned instruments like vibraphones and the like tuned to various pitches...which makes the whole matter rather moot to begin with.  I ran into a pop group with a big A= 440 in their contract and came with a rhodes tuned to 443... This is common place. We deal with both 440 and 442 in contracts over here on a regular basis... and I've gotten into the habit of tuning to 441.... 99.8% of the time this is absolutely no problem. I guess I've come to the conclusion that the whole pitch standard thingy is basically overdriven bs. Cheers RicB </DIV>