Just curious what people set their tuners to. The default is 440, but i believe mine is set to 446.
How about you~?
Is that Hertz? I mean 440 is A and not the usual C or C# that tsugaru players use.
I am not the person to ask about that, but my electronic tuner is set to 440. I really should know more beyond that…
I think what that refers to is the standard you’re tuning to. Also known as “concert pitch,” this number refers to the particular frequency set as your reference pitch. The difference in frequency between pitches will vary depending on what the setting is. A = 440 Hz is the most common concert pitch today. Adjusting it higher or lower gives you a different set of frequencies for what will be considered “in tune.”
For example, when set to A = 440 Hz, the usual C that shamisen players use for the first string will sound in tune at 261.63 Hz. If set to, say, A = 432 Hz, that C will end up being 256.87 Hz instead.
When playing by yourself, it’s not particularly important what setting you use, but it is crucial when playing in a group that you tune to the same concert pitch. Otherwise, even if your tuners say you’re both playing a C, you’ll actually be playing two different notes!
Also, due to the fact that A = 440 Hz is so common, instruments played with different settings might sound strange to certain finicky listeners.
For more on concert pitch, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch
Good to know the terminology for 440 Hz being A. I thought that was the only thing people used today.
I personally prefer A=440 Hz, but I have noticed over the last two or three years (noteably in the koto world, but I have run into it in other musical environments recently, too) that a significant number of players seem to prefer A=442 Hz now. They say they like the “brightness” that adds.