Tag Archives: weather

Winds and Weather

Temperature alert!

Heat-makes all aerophones (wind instruments) sharp. Opposite for piano and string instruments and metal percussion.
Excessive heat and/or open windows in hot weather will have negative affect.
Cold-makes all aerophones flat (opposite for piano and string instruments and metal percussion)
Excessive air conditioning and/or open windows in cold weather will have a negative affect.
Dampit humidifier for wind instruments

Humistats for wind and stringed instruments

All instruments are built to be pulled out (otherwise you can’t tune in colder atmosphere), therefore, in normal weather conditions
All aerophones should be pulled out to be at B flat = 466 cps (cycles per second)
All wind instruments can lip pitches up by tightening the embouchure and lip pitches down by loosening.
All wind instruments can lip notes down to a greater degree than they can lip notes up (less taxing on embouchure.)
Ideal air temperature = 68 degrees. Air from lungs = 98.6 degrees. Freezing is 32 degrees, note differences.
Instruments are designed to reach its true pitch after warming up for at least 5 minutes.
The more metal an instrument has, the longer it takes to warm-up.
Lip muscles also have to be warmed-up and stretched out, otherwise the muscles will be tight, causing sharpness.
All wind instruments* are pulled out to lower pitch and pushed in to raise pitch.
*EXCEPTION – Oboists scrape reeds to play / crow a “C” and all tuning is with embouchure, angle of the oboe or through the intensity of air the air.

Heat-makes all aerophones (wind instruments) sharp. Opposite for piano and string instruments and metal percussion.
Excessive heat and/or open windows in hot weather will have negative affect.
Cold-makes all aerophones flat (opposite for piano and string instruments and metal percussion)
Excessive air conditioning and/or open windows in cold weather will have a negative affect.