Not to hijack this thread . . .
Why do orchestras tune to the oboe, and why an “A” note?
My theory is that the oboes is the most tonally reliable of all the “usual” instruments, and that all the strings have an open A.
Not to hijack this thread . . .
Why do orchestras tune to the oboe, and why an “A” note?
My theory is that the oboes is the most tonally reliable of all the “usual” instruments, and that all the strings have an open A.
The oboe is the least tunable instrument in the orchestra, so they the rest of the orchestra tunes to it.
Indeed, they tune to A because it is an open string for all of the stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello and bass). I guess they could have chosen other common open strings, but for some reason, they chose that one.
When there is a piano concerto, they tune to the A off the piano. In a modern orchestra you will see the oboeist sit with an electric tuner in her box of tricks, and she will usually ensure that her note is dead on. So in a sense, the oboe is partly a matter of tradition, as the reference is usually ultimately electronic.
I always thought the rich timbre of the oboe with many harmonics makes it easier to tune to than a pure tone.
I played in a school string orchestra and we tuned to the first chair violinist.
A-440 or fight!
You have a fight on your hands. Orchestras have crept up to at least 442Hz. This seems to be the classical version of the loudness wars. Gets you that tiny edge in drama. The Baroque guys stick with their mellow 432.
Well, yes. The piano is even less tunable (on the spot) than the oboe is! I hadn’t heard (or seen) that about the oboeist using an electric tuner. It certainly wasn’t the case in the student orchestras I played in, so I’m surprised that it would happen in a professional orchestra.
And back in the day, A was whatever frequency the local guys said it was.
Can audiences actually tell the difference?
Q: What do you get when 2 oboists play in unison?
A: A minor 2nd.
The answer seems to be yes. A trained musician will easily hear it, but a general audience member might only perceive a slight difference in feel of the sound, rather being able to directly notice a change in pitch. 0.45% doesn’t sound like a lot, but our ears are pretty good frequency analysers, and in reality, it is close to a tenth of a semitone in pitch. If you heard two instruments played together that were out of tune by that amount you could tell. The limit for even the best musicians is being able to perceive 100th of a semitone (a cent). The difference between a baroque 432 and a modern orchestral 442 is getting on to a half a semitone. That is a lot.
Some of this comes back to the unclear question of why different keys have different feels. In equal temperament there are good (bad) reasons why this is so, but with a proper intonation there still remain some subtle relationship of absolute pitch to feel.
Another aspect is that it changes the relationship between the fundamentals of the notes and the harmonics. Real life instruments don’t create harmonics on the precise integer multiples of the fundamental. Strings have non-zero width, and there are constant end effects (and all sorts of other grief) with winds. Part of the sonic signature of and instrument is the miss-tunings (the inharmonicity) of the harmonics, and when the basic tuning of the instrument is changed, this also changes. This is hard to quantify, but there is some suggestion that (particularly) strings gain a slightly harder edge to their sound as they are tuned to a higher pitch. Not everyone is happy about this.
What’s a major second? 2 Baroque oboes playing in unison.
What’s a chord? 3 oboes playing in unison.
Joking aside, I’ve heard the orchestra tunes to the oboe because it has a penetrating sound, easy for all to hear.
As for why the note A, because it’s the first letter of the alphabet? (I heard a conductor say that once, but it was just one person’s opinion.)
I’ve played clarinet and percussion in many orchestras and our oboists do usually use tuners for the tuning note.
I suppose I should respond to this. I’ve been a professional orchestra musician for 26 years (bassoon). I’m also a tenured professor of music at a school of music at a major state university.
The oboe is not exactly the “least flexible” in terms of pitch. Clarinets, for one example, are arguably much less flexible, especially “on the fly.” On the contrary, the oboe’s flexibility to tune precisely while playing is part of what make it the ideal instrument for giving the tuning note. Environmental conditions significantly affect all instruments’ pitch to some greater or less degree – temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure. The oboe is flexible and responsive enough to being able to center the pitch to the desired frequency despite changes in those conditions. The oboe need not play a note, adjust a tuning peg or slide, play again, adjust again, play again, adjust again, repeat, while the rest of the orchestra waits. The player can nail the pitch precisely from the get go (well, a good player can.)
Tuning on the oboe (and bassoon as well) is achieved through the following: an instrument in good repair, properly tuned and adjusted reeds (which most professionals make by hand), and finally embouchure/oral cavity adjustment. It is certainly true that there is no tuning slide or peg for the oboe or bassoon, nothing to pull in or push out. In a sense that makes those instruments less flexible.* But the flexibility achieved via the oral cavity is what makes all the difference in terms of suitability for oboe giving the tuning A. In a nutshell, properly adjusted instruments and reeds get the oboist in the ballpark. Adjusting the air stream and oral cavity enables the player to zero in on the precise pitch quickly.
The second reason is that the oboes were among the first wind instruments in the orchestra (along with bassoons and horns.) Their keen sound is relatively easy to hear over everyone else tuning. Among the likely solo instruments to choose to give the pitch for the whole ensemble, with the flexibility to ensure it is precise and accurate regardless of circumstances and the ability to be clearly heard over all the rest of the orchestra tuning, the oboe is the traditional and probably best choice.
One could argue that other instruments that were added to the orchestra might serve just as well, or better. For example, the trombones, who are potentially the loudest instruments in the orchestra and have the slide capable of very precise tuning. But not all orchestra repertoire calls for trombones, whereas most call for oboes, and so the oboe remains the traditional choice.
Lastly, of course oboists play with a tuner on their stand when they give the tuning A, student, amateur, and professional. I’ve only known one oboist who didn’t use an electronic tuner, and he used a tuning fork.
*It is true, if the pitch is WAY out, that oboes and bassoons can’t match this unless they have a reed that will play at that pitch.
I go with the reasoning stated upthread: all the string instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass) have an open A string.
They also all have G and D strings.
Reading top string (I) to bottom string (IV):
Violin: E A D G
Viola: A D G C
Cello: A D G C
Bass: G D A E
ETA: Why A? In particular, A4? It’s tradition. I’ll look into it because I’m curious, and will get back to the thread if I come up with anything. I’m not sure I’ll find anything conclusive, though.
Guitar has an open A string. I used a 440 tuning fork for many years. I use an electronic tuner now.
interesting how similar violin and guitars are. Same strings except guitar has the extra two, B E
Violin: E A D G
Guitar: E A D G B E
Violin is the is the other way around though, G D A E from low to high (violin’s open G string is the same pitch as a guitar’s open G string, violin’s open E string is an octave higher than a guitar’s open high E string.)
oh, I didn’t realize the other poster had listed the violin strings high to low.
I played violin in high school, 35 years ago. I’ve forgotten almost everything. I couldn’t hold the bow without dropping it now.
aceplace, you weren’t completely off. The bottom 4 strings on a guitar are just an octave higher than the strings on a bass. But yeah, except for the 2nd string, guitars are tuned in 4ths and violins are tuned in 5ths.
I started again after more than 40 years. I was surprised at how much I remembered. The main problem is that my fingers can’t move as fast as they used to. Oh, and I bought a new instrument; the old one was really crap.