Posted by Frederick J. Young on June 23, 2001 at 08:03:53:
In Reply to: Re: Sharp vs. Flat posted by Jay Bertolet on June 22, 2001 at 14:54:55:
It is interesting that you mention playing E with a piano as it is the custom of piano tuners to stretch the piano tuning in both the low and high end of the keyboard. Professionally tuned pianos are about 20 cents flat at the low end, become in tune with A440 near the mid range and are 20 cents sharp near the top. This can make a tubist sound rather out of tune with the piano on his low C in the cadenza of the first movement of the R. V. Williams Tuba Concerto. On the other hand it also makes old fashioned tubas that are so flat on the 23 valve combination sound in tune to the amazent of the players. When I played the RVW Concerto with Phil Catelinet (in 1956) at the piano he insisted that the lower half of the piano be not stretched by the piano tuner. I feel that one should never tune a tuba to a piano unless the piano note is played in mid range.
This is my zwei pfennigen worth!