![]() ![]() Every musician now has ready access to some sort of digital tuner, not to mention that most musicians that play in an orchestra tune mostly by ear. The only real reason to do so now is tradition. Having made these points, I would like to note that there is no longer a reason in the modern symphony orchestra to tune to the oboe. Sure, the violinist could do it, but because one screeching string sounds like another, it could actually make it harder to tune. This, along with the reasons in #1 make the oboist a prime candidate for tuning. Since its acceptance into the orchestra, probably 85-90% of the pieces written have an oboe part. By the oboe being in the center of the ensemble, this keeps the phenomenon to a minimum.ģ) The oboe is a consistent member of the orchestra. I am not an acoustical engineer, but we all know that pitch changes, very slightly, depending on distance traveled due to the slowing of sound waves. No one can deny that a single oboist can easily overpower most of an orchestra without putting in much effort simply due to the timbrel aspects.Ģ) The oboe is located in the center (roughly) of the orchestra. Just a few thoughts about this, being an oboist:ġ) Its brighter timbre does seem to me to cut through some of the other sounds. ![]() However, the supposedly historical background is unsourced, and certain assertions (like concert B-flat being the “natural” tuning note of B-flat instruments?) lead me to believe that the article has not been rigorously researched. There’s a historical explanation of the oboe-tuning phenomenon on the Rockford (IL) Symphony website that is, at face value, about the most reasonable one I’ve seen. I welcome comments from the scientifically-inclined on this one, or from those who have read Vogt and Fétis in the original, but, if I’m not mistaken, smaller masses are actually more susceptible to temperature change. Because the oboe has a narrow bore, temperature variations have a lesser effect on its pitch.This could be true, but how much longer does it really take to warm a flute or clarinet or trombone up to pitch? Hopefully the other musicians aren’t tuning before their instruments are thoroughly warmed.Īn additional theory, reported in New Grove and citing Vogt and Fétis’s 1837 Manuel des compositeurs: Because the oboe warms up to pitch faster than the other winds.If that’s the criteria for selecting a tuning instrument, then I suggest that we consider the trumpet, or perhaps the piccolo. The Wikipedia article on the oboe, incidentally, mentions both stability and “penetrating” tone as reasons for oboe tuning, but cites an online article that no longer exists. Because the oboe can be heard better through the group, because of its volume or tone or something.But on a stage full of trained musicians, I can’t see any reason to expect it to be more reliable than anyone else’s. More reliable than, say, the glockenspiel? Given a high-quality instrument, an excellent reed, a fine oboist, and a 72.0☏ room, then yes, the oboe’s pitch ought to be pretty solid. Because the oboe’s pitch is the most reliable.But an oboist can “tune” by switching reeds, and can humor individual notes sharper or flatter on the fly, just like any wind player.) Secondly: if we tune to the principal oboe because it can’t be tuned, then what is the second oboist expected to do? Or the harpist? Or the pianist? (True, the oboe doesn’t have a built-in tuning slide. I found all of these professed as gospel truth in less than five minutes of Googling: It seems like there are a lot of theories floating around as to why, none of which make the slightest bit of sense. But, realistically, in a professional group the pitch standard is likely determined in advance, and the oboist will use an electronic tuner to be sure they are giving precisely the correct pitch, so it could just as well be anyone.īut the principal oboist is almost always the keeper of the A. ![]()
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