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Miraphone 289 and 440Hz???
Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:37 pm
by SinNawlins
More dumb questions: Can anbody shed some light on the Miraphone 289 BBb tuba and the 440 Hz option? 289's do not seem to be very common even tho they have been available for some years.
440Hz is supposed to be the A above middle C, so what does 440Hz mean in a a tuba? Why the 440 Hz Miraphone 289 option?
Re: Miraphone 289 and 440Hz???
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:52 am
by Allen
SinNawlins wrote:...
440Hz is supposed to be the A above middle C, so what does 440Hz mean in a a tuba? Why the 440 Hz Miraphone 289 option?
In Europe, the quest of fiddle players to tune ever sharper has chased the standard pitch of orchestras there to A=443 or A=444 Hz. Some orchestras in the USA have given in to this pitch anarchy and gone sharper too.
In most playing situations in the USA, you want an instrument that plays middle A at 440 Hz. The European makers sometimes call it the long main tuning slide option. I have both tuning slides for my German-made tuba: the "regular" (A=444 Hz) and the "long" (A=440 Hz). I have never found a use for the higher pitch one. The Boston Symphony (A=443 or more) hasn't called yet!
Cheers,
Allen