Hey what instrument does your orchestra tune up to?
Cause in my orchestra we have always, for as long as i can remember we have always tuned to an oboe, but recently our only oboe player moved away and they have decided to tune to me! On the piccolo! Weird or what? I mean i`ve seen orchestras on t.v. and in shows and they always tune to violins so i dont understand why we should tune to a woodwind!?
Anyway just thought i`d ask about your bands/orchestras?
Leprachaun

Most ensembles I`ve been in we`ve tuned to the oboe if there was one. Apparently because their tuning doesn`t fluctuate so much.

We usually tune to the lowest instrument; tuba.

Tuning is usually done with an Oboe as Oboists:

1) Cut their reeds to be in tune (or should).
2) Cannot pull out their reeds or water will build up in the reed chamber.
3) Cannot "push in" any further than the reed already is.
4) Adjusting to play sharper on an Oboe would involve tightening the embouchure or pressing the reed tighter against the lip which would distort tone and can cause strain on an already strenuous instrument.

We use a electrick tuner or the piano but piccolo is the most hardest to tune, and thats pretty dumb to tune to a piccolo.

What is even more dumb is tuning to a tuba.

It certainly is a very odd thing to do!

Wow! We actually agree on somethings. Scary!!

"We usually tune to the lowest instrument; tuba."

I would tend to think this was an attempt at humor. Same thing with piccolo - tune to a piccolo?

The orchestra I`m in now tunes to a Tuba, even though there is an Oboe player... and the Oboist pulls out his reed to adjust.

It`s so wrong. One hot day the Tuba was so flat that I was forced to pull out my headjoint so much so as throw out my overall intonation. I mentioned that the Tuba was really flat and I pulled out my tuner and asked the director if he wanted to use it, but he just wanted to tune to the Tuba.

Is the band director a tuba player?

Kara, we don`t agree on this... I have not called anybody "dumb" since I was a young child and didn`t know better.

We usually tune to a tuner before going on stage or we tune to the oboe... and i must agree that tuning to a tuba is just stupid as is tuning to a piccolo unless those people have perfect pitch and kno what they`re doing

Professional Tubaist. lol.

I used to get my band to tune to the lead clarinet. But now we have just got an oboe!! Hurray. A bassoonist is next on my must have list.

Have to agree about the piccolo thing - very odd. "Definition of a minor 2nd - 2 piccolos playing in unison!"

we tune to a piano or oboe