Klarinet Archive - Posting 000612.txt from 1998/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Pitch standard confusion
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 05:33:48 -0400

At 08:39 PM 9/14/98 -0700, Matt Palasik wrote:
>ok then if a clarinet is designed to play at a=440 when the temperature
>is say 72 as well as the other instruments in the orchestra. Then if
>thepitch will naturally go higher as the teperature increaes souldnt the
>standard include tem. SO lets say we are in a concert hall that is like
>88 degrees with all thepeople the lights etc.WOuldn't it make more sense
>to tune slighly highe at say a=441 or 442 so that the instruments will
>play more in tune with themselves. Instaed of dozens of people trying to
>make slight variations in embouchure or whatever to keep each note in
>tune when tuning to a@-----.

Actually, yes. But wouldn't it be smarter, and more comfortable, too, to
jack up the air conditioning a notch or two?

Wouldnti t be easier for the musicians to
>tune concert a slightly higher in warmer temperatures or tune lower in
>colder tempertaures? ANd also with temperature playing a constant role
>in tuning an instrumentwhy is the Standard often described at a=440 when
>the temp is 72 degrees. How often is the temperture in most concert
>halls or any other place where orchestras and ensembles perform atually
>72 degrees?
>
72 degrees being widely considered to be normal "room temperature," what
other temperature would you suggest? If you build instruments to be in
tune at 88 degrees for a particular uncomfortable concert stage, then
you'll have to keep your home practice room at that sauna-like level, too,
to keep intonation consistency! The problem is the temperature management
in the hall, not the design of the instrument.

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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