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FAQs

Should a violin be tuned to 440 or 442? ›

Reportedly, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is set to 444 Hz, the New York Philharmonic to 443 Hz, and the Berlin Philharmonic 445 Hz. Some solo violinists intentionally tune at a number above the orchestra's 440 Hz, around 442 Hz for example, to create a slightly brighter sound.

Orchestras always tune to 'A', because every string instrument has an 'A' string. The standard pitch is A=440 Hertz (440 vibrations per second).

Namely, if you are playing in a larger orchestra - this is because some instruments, particularly the likes of the Oboe find it more difficult to reach A440. The other common reason why a piano may be tuned to A442 is because it is produced or made in continental Europe.

Make sure you set your tuner to your preferred pitch – the most common pitch standard is A = 440 Hz, though some orchestras and chamber groups prefer to tune to a slightly higher A like 441, 442 or even 443.

AEAE is the most common. Here the G and D strings are tuned up a whole step. This makes it especially easy to play fiddle tunes in two octaves.

In order for instruments to sound pleasant when they are played together, in 1936 the American Standards Association recommended that all instruments be tuned to 440z. Which means that the middle A on a piano/keyboard below the middle C in the 4th octave is vibrating at 440 cycles per second.

Many modern flutes are now designed to play a low octave A note at 442Hz. The old pitch standard was 440Hz although it's unclear when the change actually began. This means an A played at 440Hz is ever so slightly lower than an A played at 442Hz.

Context: The current reference frequency for tuning musical instruments is 440 Hz. Some theorists and musicians claim that the 432 Hz tuning has better effects on the human body, but there are no scientific studies that support this hypothesis.

The ISO defines international standard pitch as A440, setting 440 Hz as the frequency of the A above middle C. Frequencies of other notes are defined relative to this pitch. A written C, top, on a B♭ clarinet sounds a concert B♭, bottom.

Vibraphones are tuned to a standard of A = 442 Hz or A = 440 Hz, depending on the manufacturer or the customer's preference. While concert pitch is generally A = 440 Hz, the sharper tuning of A = 442 Hz is used to give the vibraphone a slightly brighter sound to cut through the ensemble.

Are pianos tuned to 440 or 442? ›

It used to be a¹ = 440 Hz, which proved to be too low for piano accompaniment. Pianos today are generally tuned to 443 - 445 Hz, which our recorders can even reach when they are warmed really well.

Many tongue drums are tuned to 432 Hz. Some amateurs consider this to be the ideal frequency. However, there are also great tongue drums tuned to 440 Hz. These are the ones to choose if you want to play with other musicians.

A 440 was declared the standard tuning frequency by the International Organization for Standardization in the 1950s. It is still the most commonly used frequency today, although some orchestras do choose to tune at slight variations (either 441 or 442, both of which are slightly higher than 440).

Orchestras always tune to concert pitch (usually A=440 Hertz, 440 vibrations per second). Conveniently, every string instrument has an A string.

Cellos and basses have different strings and tuning. Like violins and violas, cellos are tuned in fifths (C-G-D-A). Basses are tuned in fourths (E-A-D-G).

Standard Tuning

(A₄, a', 440.00 Hz.)

December 3, 2016 at 05:54 PM · Either way would be fine, though you will find most orchestras are tuned to 441, that one extra Hz might just produce more clarity :) December 3, 2016 at 06:25 PM · Will you really hear the difference?