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Re: Tuning Etiquette

Author: hautbois
Date: 2006-12-23 16:55

Our orchestra has a new music director, and in a very friendly but firm way he made it clear to the ensemble that there was to be quiet for the tuning A and care in tuning. The orchestra immediately responded to the direction, and the tuning improved immensley.
Decades ago, when I was playing principal in "All Eastern Orchestra", the conductor (the late Thor Johnson) directed me to start the A softly and cresc. to @ mf. He said that the soft beginning would encourage the players to listen carefully before they played. That has generally been true.
In both of the orchestras in which I usually play, without specific direction, the trumpet continues the A it until all the brass and winds are finished tuning. Fotunately, the trumpets involved are very good at finding the correct A. And then I give the A to the strings, who have a good sense of the A from the prolonged trumpet playing of it. In one of the orchestras I asked the second oboe to refrain from loud playing of the A because it was confusing the rest of the winds, and the other orchestra's second oboe already seemed to understand that without my direction.

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