Re: A=?


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Posted by Joe S. on March 11, 2001 at 21:52:07:

In Reply to: A=? posted by ken k on March 11, 2001 at 20:19:12:

Hmmm. When I play with the BEST musicians in town, I don't seem to have many problems playing UP to pitch. (They generally play around A=440.) When I play with the "weakest" (meaning those who can do a good job, but who are at the bottom of the "call list") players in town, the pitch is often so high that after a short time I often "give up" trying to match it.

Most tubas tuning slides are in tune with only an inch or less of pull. Ratio-wise, this doesn't give us much room to get sharper. (Think about it... Most tubas' tuning slides in ACTUAL LENGTH are no longer than trumpet, trombone, french horn, or baritone tuning slides.) Many tubas that CAN be played at A=440 (or since we are talking about tubas, should I say A=110 ?) don't have tuning slides that can reach much higher than A=441 (MAYBE 442). The fact that quite a few tubas cannot "soar" up to A=443-4-5 never seems to be much of a problem, because most folks are QUITE USED TO hearing the bass notes in western music flat, because (What instrument do most people hear most often?...) pianos are ALWAYS tuned with the bass notes flat, in order to "tease" all of the perfect fifths closer to "perfect".

442 is SIGNIFICANTLY sharper than 440, and I have found that when I play with the very best musicians - no matter the locale - they usually don't play much sharper than 440.

NOW, getting back to actually talking more to the subject of YOUR post: I know quite a few oboists, and MOST ALL of them are trying to find oboes that (obviously sound beautiful but also) play right around A=440 - A=440+ - A=441. Usually, when oboists give the A, they are using an electronic tuner calibrated to "center" at A=440 and try to "give" A=440 for tuning.

Joe "as the next poster says HEY JOE, YOU ARE FULL OF IT!" S.

P.S. By the way, keep telling your trumpet player to quit playing sharp, and to practice extensively in the Schlossberg book (using a Korg CA-20 $25 tuner ALL THE TIME) to give him the flexibility and the strength to play withOUT playing sharp like an amateur. (THAT should really p--s him off!)


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