Klarinet Archive - Posting 000549.txt from 1998/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Pitch standard confusion
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 02:08:37 -0400

At 07:57 AM 9/15/98 MDT, JW wrote:
>So, zillions of bytes of text on the above, which could easily be distilled
>into the following:
>
>* A=440 is A=440 no matter the conditions; 32 degrees, 100 degrees, sea
level,
> high in the mountains, etc. Only thing that matters here is vibrational
> speed of the pitch, either 440 or NOT 440.
>
Yes. This is true.

>* HOWEVER, the speed of sound IS affected by the density of the medium it
> travels thru - all other things equal, this means that any
> sound producer will probably produce different pitches in a cold room vs.
> a warm room(tuning fork, clarinet, etc). It is a well know fact that

> the speed of sound is MUCH different when travelling thru water than thru
> air, even though the producer of the sound may be the same, for example.
>
No. While the speed at which the sound travels will vary, the pitch
remains the same. A given number of cycles per second is just that,
dependent upon TIME, not temperature.

>* A tuning fork or clarinet will expand or contract depending upon the
> temperature change, affecting the pitch produced.
>
YES. THIS is the reason pitch changes with differing temperature conditions.
>

>As far as orchestra pitch, it therefore really does matter at what temp.
>you tune, NOT because of A=440, but because of expansion/contraction/
>air temp inside the instrument will affect the produced pitch.
>
If you tune the orchestra so that it plays at A=440 in the GIVEN
environment, WHATEVER the temperature (and of course, you don't tune until
the instruments and instrumentalists are "warmed up" and the
expansion/contraction has already occurred), it should, theoretically at
least, STAY in the vicinity of 440.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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