Re: Hi-Pitch / Lo-Pitch / A440 - When??


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Posted by Ken Herrick on June 17, 2002 at 19:40:36:

In Reply to: Hi-Pitch / Lo-Pitch / A440 - When?? posted by Marty Neilan on June 17, 2002 at 12:17:25:

There have been differing times of switching from one standard to the other in different parts of the world.

Rex Conner once told about having been in Europe during WWII and coming across instruments built to all kinds of pitch standards making it rather near impossible to form a "pick up instrument" band.

When I came to Australia in 1971 Boosey and Hawkes brass instruments were still available in high or low pitch and whole brass bands were functioning as high or low pitch bands. There were even seperate classes for high and low pitch bands, playing different repertoire at contests.What we call LOW ie A440 was rapidly taking over and in the first few years here I did a lot of pitch 'conversions'. (The orchestras and most other groups used LP) The difference was between 1/4 and 1/2 tone. Almost a case of a BBb tuba in high pitch equaling a CCb in low pitch. Hey, maybe that is where the infamous EBAY CCb tubas came from - somebody borrowed an old high pitch as a sample to copy.

Ah yes, it is all low pitch here now, but some people do like to tune a bit high.

Ken (There's nuthin like a HP Eb to make Bydlo easy..... Open G#) Herrick


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