Re: Concert Pitch (a second try)

[Carl D. Sorensen]

On 4/6/09 6:41 PM, "Paul Scott" <address@hidden> wrote:

> Carl D. Sorensen wrote:
>> So do we care what reference concert pitch uses?  Does it matter if it's
>> A=440, or A=445, or A=450?
>>  
> 
> Some of us care for a non-notational reason:  Woodwinds are built to
> specific proportions which make them much more in tune at a specific
> frequency.  In the 1970s flutes were reproportioned by manufacturers who
> could afford to retool from Boehm's original 435 to 445.  I didn't find
> the right keywords yet to find out what modern clarinets are designed
> for.  There are old saxophones marked "low pitch" which are somewhat
> impractical when played with normally tuned pianos.  I recently played
> my flute with a modern Yamaha Xylophone which was tuned to at least
> 445Hz.  A bit of a challenge!

Oh, I understand why we care individually.  Of course the pitch that we need
to tune to will have a great effect on our individual instruments.

But when I say "we", I mean the LilyPond documentation team, which has
responsibility for the music glossary.

Carl