A Pitch By The Same Name, Might Not Sound the Same...

Well, the actual question was "Ok, so explain A 440?" asked by a dear yoga colleague, I think she was just trying to be sassy (she's a Berklee grad!), but nonetheless, it's sort of an interesting story.....

A 440 is the frequency & pitch of the note A. More specifically it's the tone our ears hear when an instrument plays the note A above Middle C. (we can get to middle C later, just know that if you look at a piano this very special A is located 6 white keys above the middle C)

There was actually a time when if I played an A in Vienna (so Bach of me) it would vary slightly in pitch to the same A in Florence! This variation could even happen in the same city because people had no Standard Reference for determining the Exact pitch of a note. So eventually we decided upon the idea of a Standard Tuning and assigned the specific frequency of 440 Hz to the note A.
And It wasn't until the 20th century that people Standardized Pitch! ie: agreed on the frequency that made the A on one instrument sound exactly like the A on another instrument.
(certain instruments are tuned differently but that's a whole other story)

*Note that prior to this A 440 business, ensembles would choose one instrument (usually the organ) in the group for the reference pitch so that everyone could play happily in harmony.

Standard Pitch is also known as Concert Pitch. That pretty note the Orchestra plays before they perform? You are hearing them tune to the note A 440! And it's now also pretty much standardized in the making of instruments. Ah -it sounds oh so lovely.


BUT WHAT DOES 440 MEAN?
440 refers to the oscillations per second. In other words each note we play has a certain vibration aka frequency -
Every sound wave vibrates at a specific number of cycles per second. We have standardized A to vibrate at 440 cycles per second. You will often see Hz after 440. The Hz is short for Hertz which is an international unit (like meters or kilos) that means the frequency or oscillations/ cycles per second of the sound wave.

WHO DECIDED THAT A WOULD EQUAL 440?
Well, we now know why we had to standardize pitch and what the 440 is all about
A brief history as to Whom is responsible for this ingenuity.....

Between the years 1495-1812 historians can prove as many as THIRTEEN different Hz for that little note A. Some say there were even more - Things were getting a little crazy! (the ranges varied from 394 - 489 - yikes!)

Somewhere in there, 1711, to be exact, the tuning fork was invented, still no one really cared. As long as the ensemble was in tune with each other, everyone was happy

It wasn't until 1834 when someone said, "Can we just make A = 440" and be done with this?
The A 440 was chosen based on the scientific research of some smart physicists in Germany

But still, most of the concert halls and opera houses were using a higher pitch standard. Then? the singers started to complain (maybe that's why they get a bad rap...) because having the note A at a slightly higher frequency was reportedly creating vocal strain. So, France & Vienna they agreed upon A 435. yay!
But wait you said 440?
In addition to the physicists research, 440Hz was also based upon the tuning of A to the organ at the Queens Hall in Britain around 1896.
The actual tuning was at 439, but they rounded it to 440 to make life easier; ie: a more round number
In 1939 an international conference made an official recommendation for everyone to agree on A 440
Finally A 440 was deemed officially official in 1955 by the International Organization for Standardization and re-affirmed by all in 1975.

THANKS for your question K. H. - hope that answers it!

Does that answer your question? Got Another?
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Calling all Rock Stars, Savvy Songwriters, Jazz Cats, Folky Fingers, CountryMen, Blues Divas, Classical Kids and Favorite Fans.....

Welcome!
My name is Meredith Blis Sincoff – I am a pianist, songwriter, and vocalist – probably not a musical genius, but most definitely, a music theory nerd.
I decided to start this Blog Site for a few reasons

1. It gives me a chance to prattle about music theory and I like to do that. (we’ve already established that I am a nerd)

2. I have spent many years playing in, hanging out at and even booking music venues
Along the way, as you would imagine, I have met many many brilliant, talented musicians. Often the topic of music arises in conversation (imagine that!) and what I often see are people who are highly proficient on their instrument, they can play wonderfully, & some are even commercially very successful, BUT they still have some unanswered questions regarding the hows and whys certain things in music work & exist (or don't!).

3. I am awed by those gifted musicians who have never even picked up a book or studied formally!! I have seen firsthand, how one little answer can help open a completely new world of musical possibilities, increase confidence, and amplify (pardon the bad pun!) their innate musical talent.

4. I have also seen incredible musicians who are classically trained – they have a very high level of sight-reading ability and a vast knowledge of complex classical literature, however, they are unable to understand chords, charts and pop song structure.

One of my favorite stories here, is that when I was in the extension division of The Juilliard School studying composition and theory, a friend from class came to one of my live ‘pop’ performances. After the show she asked me for the music to one of the cover songs I had played. The next week in class I brought her the ‘chart’ -
(music slang for a chord chart - a piece of music that contains only chords/chord symbols listed, sometimes a chart will also have lyrics or actual music note notation for the melody, in this case it didn't, Just chords!)
She looked at me quizzically and asked “ where are the notes?”
This woman could have played rings around me any day of the week on the piano, but after 15 years at her craft, she had never seen a chord chart. We were both trained musicians, but in some areas, we spoke a different vocabulary.

It's like taking 2 chefs - one runs a chicest cafe in Soho, NYC and the other runs the most popular BBQ joint in all of Mississippi. Both Serve Fabulous Food, but they cook it up a different way

Different Skills are relevant for Different Genres (or Kitchens!)

OR maybe you're just beginning your Rock Star Journey, thinking about playing or recently started learning an instrument ?
Well, you've picked a good place to start!

No path for musicians is more correct than another -
it’s just a matter of filling in the blanks that our training & experience have left open. In an ideal world we know it all, but the important thing is to focus on the elements that will help us to grow & achieve on our own personal path. Different styles of music require different knowledge. We learn from what we use and from what we are exposed to. But sometimes we want answers, and it's important to fill in those blanks so that we can continue to excel at our craft.

That's where I come In! Yay!
My goal here is to fill in those ‘blanks,' to help other musicians excel at their craft and to debunk some myths…

Music Theory IS in everyone’s ability to learn and apply –
It is NOT some ancient secret that requires initiation, torture, struggle to learn and a lifetime journey to find the ‘Holy Grail’
The main problem that I have seen is that a lot of the available texts are very confusing, they are presented in a very intellectual manner with no practical application. Or we have encountered some scary person in our past who has made it appear that theory is so complex it is way beyond the grasp of the average human being. BULLSHORTS!

Also, lest we forget our Fans and Friends, you are often the most important members of the band :) YOU are the ones who come to shows, buy CD's & give us the courage to keep at it. So... after listening to all of our music & music career drama, might there be SOMETHING you are also curious about?.......

So, bring it on! Ask a Question and allow me (to attempt!!) to present concepts in the clearest possible format. And yes, I will purposely give credence to sophomoric tricks and anecdotes because, in my teaching experience – They Work! And there is no reason for anyone to feel that one must be on some high horse in order to learn.
The one stipulation is don't be Afraid to Click here & ASK THE QUESTION

Enjoy the bad humor along the way, because that's how I roll and it just doesn’t have to be boring! When you are finished,
my hope is that you will agree with me Music Theory is Fun. Maybe just a little bit? And it might just make you a better musician :)
Love, Meredith Blis
Click And ASK ME HERE!!!!!!!