I understand there’s a specific sound musicians needs. How was that note determined and set?
In: 1
The pitch an instrument plays is effected by several factors, most notably the temperature and humidity of the air (which actually changes the speed of sound, how that changes pitch is best described by asking astronomers about blue / red shifting if you want to go down that rabbit hole).
In order to correct for changes, the instruments are tuned just prior to any performance. For an orchestra, a note that is played on all the stringed instruments without pressing on the fingerboards (A) is used to give a single pitch to everyone and they correct their instrument to play the same pitch when trying to play that note.
For pop/rock/country etc. each player will normally tune to an electric tuner before the performance.
Different types of instruments make adjustments in different ways:
stringed instruments: there are tuning pegs that change the tension on the string to set the pitch
Harps have individual strings for each note and it is a pain to get them all in tune (common joke is that a harpist spends half their time tuning, and another half playing out of tune)
Wind instruments, both woodwind and brass have a slide somewhere that changes the length of the pipe. On a brass instrument it can be anywhere in the tubing, on woodwinds it is between where the sound is generated at the mouthpiece and the keys, typically it is just how far in you push the mouthpiece.
Keyboard instruments, like piano are typically not tuned for every performance. The atmospheric changes that effect pitch will mostly allow the instrument to be in tune to itself. It is common in orchestras for the oboe who traditionally gives the reference pitch to correct their pitch against the piano and give the same A it would be playing.
Regular maintenance is done on pianos to keep them in tune. depending on the concert hall and the performer, this may be day of performance, but frequently is between weekly and monthly for ones that get common use to yearly for home instruments.
tuned percussion is set at the factory and not changed by the user. There are some acoustic parts that may make adjustments to amplify the sound better based on current air conditions, but this does not change the pitch played by the struck part of the instrument.
Latest Answers