Klarinet Archive - Posting 000178.txt from 2005/10

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Upward Creeping pitch
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 21:29:18 -0400

At 05:49 PM 10/20/2005 -0700, Ormondtoby Montoya wrote:
>Walter wrote:
>
> > many of the major orchestras have already
> > settled on a 442 pitch
>
>This has been an interesting discussion, but I haven't gathered an
>understanding of "Why?"
>
>If there has been a widely-disseminated international agreement for the
>last 60 years to a certain pitch (namely 440), why do many of today's
>major orchestras and instrument manufacturers choose a slightly
>different standard?

As I have suggested earlier, string players like to tune sharper because it
makes them think they sound "brighter" or will cause them to stand out from
the crowd (not applicable if everybody ELSE tunes higher!). It is easy for
them, not requiring any adjustment to their instruments other than a crank
of the tuning pegs. Woodwind manufacturers probably do not LIKE this
situation, but they MUST conform to the new de facto standard or players
will have to get new instruments from OTHER sources in order to be able to
play up to the pitch of their groups.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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