Re: Concert Pitch (a second try)

[Hans Aberg]

On 5 Apr 2009, at 23:12, Anthony W. Youngman wrote:

> Okay, we've got more feedback (isn't this fun :-).

You might have fun for a life-time! :-)

> I'll try and do it again, following on from the comment that the  
> existing (and my replacement) entries actually try to cram too much  
> into the entries.
>
> 1.64 Concert pitch
>
> The convention (standardised by ISO 16) that A above middle C  
> represents the note at 440 Hertz. This is commonly notated by the  
> statement "A=440".

The Merriam Webster suggested it might mean tuning standatrd: either  
"international pitch" A = 440 Hz, or philharmonic pitch A = 450 Hz...

> There are many other conventions, such as "diapason normal" which  
> was established by French law as "A=435". Many of these conventions  
> have fallen into disuse, although there are orchestras which  
> typically tune to other pitches (usually pitching A slightly higher  
> in order to sound "brighter").

...and possibly some other tuning standards. Perhaps this link has more:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_(music)

> Regardless of the exact frequency of A, instruments which play the  
> standard frequency upon reading the note A are typically referred to  
> as playing "in concert pitch" or "in C". Typically, these are  
> instruments with multiple sounding parts such as tuned percussion or  
> strings.

The Harvard Concise suggests (or a reading of it) it can also mean  
"non-transposing instrument". This is also mentioned on the Wikipedia  
link above.

> Instruments which play a completely different note are referred to  
> as "transposing instruments". These are typically instruments with a  
> single sounding part such as brass and woodwind. For some  
> instruments, both the "standard pitch" and "transposing" conventions  
> end up with the same result as regards the actual printed music, eg  
> the flute, or a C trumpet.
>
> See also: "transposing intruments" and wikipedia entry for concert  
> pitch.

A transposing instrument plays a pitch other than of the notated note.

> 1.311 transposing instruments
>
> Instruments where the written note is not the note that the  
> instrument is intended to play, according to standard pitch. The  
> reason for this is to make it easy for players to switch between  
> similar instruments that have different fundamental pitches.

> Depending on the design of the instrument, some instruments have a  
> lowest (pedal) note whose wavelength is twice the length of the  
> instrument and can play all harmonics thereof (1/2, 2/2, 3/2...),
> while others have a pedal note whose wavelength is four times the  
> length of the instrument but can only play the odd harmonics thereof  
> (1/4, 3/4, 5/4 ...).

This is for pipes. Strings should have the length of the wave length  
in the string (not the sir, though). Wind instruments behaving as open  
pipes has the first, whereas closed-open pipes as the second (like  
clarinets).

> For brass instruments, the fundamental pitch of the instrument is  
> that where the wavelength of the note is the same as the length of  
> the instrument. This note is written as middle C in the treble clef,  
> and such music is normally referred to as being "in X", indicated by  
> the part being notated as for "X instrument". For example, an A  
> trumpet would be (approximately) 78cm long (343m/s divided by 440/s  
> = 78cm) and the music would be referred to as being "in A", with the  
> instrument denoted as "A trumpet".
>
> All brass instruments fall into the category of those whose pedal  
> note has a wavelength twice that of the instrument.

Though not true for a flute with a Bb joint.

> FIXME - can a woodwind player expand this
> Woodwind instruments can fall into either category of pedal note -  
> the clarinet is an example of an instrument with a pedal note with a  
> wavelength four times the length of the instrument.
> FIXME - how is middle C defined for a woodwind instrument?
>
> When writing music for a transposing instrument, it is normal to  
> refer to the instrument by its fundamental, eg "Bb Trumpet, A  
> clarinet". It is assumed the music is in Bb or A. If the instrument  
> (eg flute) is normally notated in treble clef, then either the  
> instrument's fundamental or the transposition should be mentioned if  
> it is not in standard pitch ("alto flute in G", "G flute"). If the  
> music is in C, the instrument's fundamental should NOT be mentioned,  
> and it should be notated as "in C" only if required to avoid  
> confusion.
>
> The intentional side-effect of this convention is that, for all  
> instruments in the same family, they share the same fingering for  
> any given written note.

That is probably the starting point: the original idea is to simplify  
fingering. The musician just plays the written note with the fingering  
of the instrument in C, and if the transposing has been written right,  
out sounds the right note.

So an alto flute in G will play G below middle C when the fingering of  
middle C is taken. It It plays a note a fourth below the written one.  
Therefore, if one wants it to play middle C, one needs to write a note  
a fourth higher, that is middle F.

The transposing instruments also have names like "alto" etc attached  
to indicate which octave it plays in. For saxes (from Blatter,  
"Instrumentation...")
  Eb contrabass saxophone  sounds 2 octaves and a major 6th lower  
than written
  Bb bass saxophone        sounds 2 octaves and a major 2nd lower  
than written
  Eb baritone saxophone    sounds 1 octave and a major 6nd lower than  
written
  Bb tenor saxophone       sounds a major 9th lower than written
  Eb alto saxophone        sounds a major 6th lower than written
  Bb soprano saxophone     sounds a major 2nd lower than written
  Eb sopranino saxophone   sounds a minor 3rd higher than written

One can also say "sopranino in Bb", etc.

  Hans