 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Neil
Date: 2015-10-17 06:35
Californians have a reputation for being "high."
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-10-17 06:55
A fair number of top US orchestras claim 442. String sections feel that they have more projection up there. It is not a huge difference to the wind players. Just a minor adjustment.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-10-17 07:12
It's slightly less than 8 cents different. Not huge, but significant. Definitely something to be prepared for. It's probably Michelle's fault with those German clarinets she's been using.
Anders
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Author: jnyingpo
Date: 2015-10-17 08:09
"American standard" is almost a contradiction in terms, outside of plumbing. 442 isn't bad for most American instruments. Wurlitzer Oehlers to 440 is a rough hump, so they've probably been at 442 for awhile. Wurlitzer reform Boehms advertise barrels for 440, 442 and "European pitch," but that depends a lot on your ear. A lot of Wurlitzer players have monster ears and can make basically anything sound great. The rest of us need to match the instrument to the situation. Nice of them to tell you in advance!
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Author: Wes
Date: 2015-10-17 08:31
The basic tuning standard in Los Angeles is still A440, despite this message. I've given a lot of A440s on my oboe here in many venues. A442 for an oboist is not so easy and probably easiest dealt with by buying a new oboe at that pitch, unlike a clarinet where you can likely use a shorter barrel. Today's flutes are made to cover both pitches. Making higher pitch oboe reeds is not easy. I don't know what make of oboes they use, but most of the Loree oboes sent here are tuned at A440, although I've heard that Loree will make them for A442.
About 20 years ago, I played in an orchestra at USC where the leader wanted to play at A442. So I pinched the tuning notes up to that, but I probably played a little flat, which no one seemed to notice.
A well known eastern orchestra recently had a lot of problems with it's oboist because they had purchased some of the tuned percussion at A442 and I heard that there were legal difficulties over it.
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Author: mrn
Date: 2015-10-18 03:28
I grew up in Houston and from what I recall, the Houston Symphony tunes to 442 also. (I used to play on a 442 mouthpiece because of that--my teacher played with the Houston Symphony and I bought one identical to hers) I read an article years ago about this topic, which mentioned a number of orchestras around the US that tuned to 442. If memory serves, the article mentioned that the Berlin Philharmonic tunes even higher, like to 448 or something like that. They definitely do sound higher to me on recordings.
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-10-18 03:47
The San Francisco Symphony (reportedly) tunes to 441 or 442 Hz
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (reportedly) tunes to 444 Hz
The New York Philharmonic (reportedly) tunes to 443 Hz
and The Berlin Philharmonic (reportedly) tunes to 445 Hz
from
http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/776/why-are-orchestras-tuned-differently
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-10-18 03:50
Pitch inflation
from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2015-10-18 21:42
In preparation for TUNAPOCALYPSE I've begun conceptual design of a radical new "Radial-Ply Inflatable Pitch-Adjustable Clarinet", which has an inflatable rubber bladder for the body, reinforced with non-extensible radial cord belts (but no longitudinal belts).
By varying the body tube inflation pressure, you can adjust the length of the entire clarinet without varying the diameter.
I will be taking orders soon. If you'd like to reserve one prior to production (not to mention design and testing), please send me large quantities of cash in small untraceable bills.
You will want to be ready for this disaster when it occurs. Remember Y2K!!!
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-10-18 23:53
Mersenne's law
f_0=\frac{1}{2L}\sqrt{\frac{F}{\mu}},
where f is the frequency, L is the length, F is the force and μ is the mass per unit length.
Is it a law or just a theory?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2015-10-19 00:00
I actually mentioned this in another post about the LPhil pitch. Was fun playing on the stage ;-)
Peter Cigleris
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Author: Wes
Date: 2015-10-19 00:55
This is not a new situation. In 1946, the U of MN Concert Band had an official pitch standard of A443, under the famous band leader Gerald R. Prescott. In addition, he decreed a marching tempo standard of 144 steps per minute. He also demanded on time presence at rehearsals, locking the room door at exactly the start time.
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-10-19 01:54
Thanks Silversorcerer for your explanation of string theory
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2015-10-19 21:31
I notice that many orchestras use the oboe to give the tuning note. SilverSourcerer mentions this without giving the rationale. So, does anyone know just why the oboe has been given the honor of providing the tuning note?
Jerry
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Author: GBK
Date: 2015-10-19 21:41
saxlite wrote:
> I notice that many orchestras use the oboe to give the tuning
> note. SilverSourcerer mentions this without giving the
> rationale. So, does anyone know just why the oboe has been
> given the honor of providing the tuning note?
It stems from the orchestral tradition of the 1600's where the oboe was a more stable pitch than than the early violin gut strings, as well as it was a penetrating sound easy for string players, and others, to hear.
The oboe is also the most called for wind instrument in the orchestra, while others (flute, bassoon, clarinet, brass, etc...) are not always scored in every piece of music
...GBK
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-10-20 02:07
Unless some geniuus figures out how to shorten human vocal cords, pitch inflation has its limits. Singers do not want to get a reputation for needing to have their parts transposed down -- while composers who want their music to sound exciting can't seem to resist writing for the top of the range. The great Victorian tenor, Sims Reeves, threatened to quit singing in England altogether if the country didn't reel in its pitch, which was a full half-tone higher than Continental pitch by the 1880s. He (somewhat past his prime by then, it's true) and other singers were the most influential in persuading the British to come down out of the squeak-register. Something similar will happen here, short of Shriekopolypse.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-10-20 02:41
What would happen as a joke the oboe played a B instead of an A. Chaos
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: Dibbs
Date: 2015-10-20 13:50
derf5585 wrote:
> Mersenne's law
> f_0=\frac{1}{2L}\sqrt{\frac{F}{\mu}},
> where f is the frequency, L is the length, F is the force and
> μ is the mass per unit length.
>
> Is it a law or just a theory?
>
It is a law. In science, a theory isn't a lesser thing than a law ("just" a theory). A theory is more powerful than a law. A law simply a relationship derived from many observations and often only applies under certain conditions. A theory explains the reasons for a phenomena and should be capable of predicting what happens under other conditions.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-10-20 18:25
Oddly enough, most of my choral experience and my experience playing in pit orchestras accompanying vocalists is that singers often want the key to be transposed *up* by a half step. I think it has less to do with the top notes (which no choral singer typically needs to deal with) but rather with the location of their register break - the "passagio."
Karl
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2015-10-20 23:06
Why would one orchestra choose 443, and another 442? It must play havoc with the ears of those with perfect pitch. Pitch is all relative of course, but how does an orchestra arrive at a certain pitch?
--------------------------------------
The older I get, the better I was
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Author: GBK
Date: 2015-10-20 23:51
Silversorceror wrote:
> An orchestra or any ensemble might get a pitch from a tuning fork,
> which is extremely stable as long as the material it is made
> from is not degraded, bent, corroded, etc.
In more than 40+ years of playing in orchestras (both pro and amateur) I have never once seen an ensemble tune to a tuning fork..
It's always been the oboe (via electronic tuner) or piano, when it is the solo instrument.
...GBK
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-10-20 23:56
JonTheReeds
"It must play havoc with the ears of those with perfect pitch"
A clarinet player with perfect pitch. Would it be in Bb A Eb or concert pitch?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2015-10-21 01:33
I have been looking through a Carolina Science catalog recently. All of their tuning forks seem to be based on C=256.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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