I have an old synth that is tuned to A=442. I don't know why, and I have to calibrate it every time I use it. No biggie, a couple of unison button pushes and a knob twist.

I have read that some orchestras, NY Phil and many of the European symphonies tune to A=442, so perhaps that's it.

Now my saxophone, like all woodwinds, is not in tune with itself. I have to 'lip' each note to play it in tune. So when I get a new sax, I play all the notes in front of a tuner to see which ones are out and by how much. This gives my mind a ball park of which direction to lip each note.

Then when I tune, I tune the sax to the note that registers the flattest while "lipping" the sax up as high as possible. That way I know when I play I can play in tune

Then while playing, I use my ears and my lip. It's done automatically, it's just part of playing the horn.

Often I'll play a note out of tune intentionally, a little flat to add tension and gradually pulling up to pitch, a little sharp to add brightness, or whatever. It's like bending a guitar string or using the whammy.

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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