Posted by js on January 02, 2002 at 23:51:44:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Better tuba tuning posted by Frederick J. Young on January 02, 2002 at 16:49:11:
The piano "C" (not "CC" - are we "on the same page"?) just below the bass clef staff should probably only be tuned about 6 hundredths of a semitone flat. Perhaps you are thinking of the recommended tuning of "CC"?
Many manufactured tubas' natural pitch tendencies of "C" (the C just below the staff) is flatter than other pitches on the overtone series anyway, so perhaps your example is not one that would be much of a problem for contrabass tuba players playing this piece. The "C" on many F tubas is notoriously flabby, and should easily be flexible enough to bend 6 hundredths of a semitone flatter (assuming a very recently and very well tuned piano and a very in-tune "C" on a given F tuba).
Again, the average "pretty good" tuba player has the ability to flex notes (particularly second partial notes) 5 - 7 cents flat, as many tubas are flat on this series of pitches anyway. Further (again), most "pretty [DERN] good" tuba players play far more out of tune than the error built into "stretch" piano tuning.
Yes, 5 cents is indeed pushing the outer limit of good intonation, and I would venture that you, as well as I, have audited many performances where this limit was liberally exceeded.
;^)