violin thread

[Travis Gordy]

Susan, et.al: Another instrument is the voice. I think we can say that
singing presents the same problems and benefit as instrument
performance. Your comment in another post about only occasionally
finding others that can play in tune well enough to give real pleasure
in quartet playing (I paraphrase) is particularly true using the voice
as the instrument. I was taught to sing harmony as a young child. Only
once in my life have I had the opportunity to sing with three other
fellows that could really "ring" a chord. What a thrill. I think that my
constant awareness of harmony was the reason I did not enjoy my piano
about two months after it was tuned. Since I could not afford a tuner
that often I learned to tune it myself. That was about 47 years ago.
Must admit it took longer than two months to get the hang of it, but
with the help of the tuners bible at that time, by White, a generous
technician in Houston and people at Schaff that I use to call until one
day he said "why dont you join the guild where you will learn all those
answers", I became a "Registered Craftsman"; 18 years ago. My daughters
grew up with a piano always in tune. One plays violin and another,
cello. They frequently tell people "you need to get that piano tuned".

The influence of a well tuned piano on children reminds me of the time a
young woman, great with child, set right behind me as I tuned her piano,
hopeing the child would be imprinted with pitch memory, I presume.
Probably drove the kid wild. No I dont know if it had any affect on the
kid. They moved out of town.

Susan Kline wrote:
>
> Allan --
>
> >Sorry if this seems to ramble, but the subject is fascinating and there are
> >probably more people involved in it than we would ever imagine.
>
> For me at least, you can ramble like this as much as you please! And I'm
> glad you stayed up this evening! (It's only 9:40 p.m. out here.)
>
> I've always wondered how wind players viewed these matters! Theirs is a
> unique set of problems, since in orchestra they have to blend with each
> other while all their instruments are pulling them in different directions.
> I've watched the woodwinds huddled together during breaks, straightening it
> all out. If you think of more to tell us ("at great length") from the brass
> perspective, tell on!
>
> I have wondered for some time what effect a previous background in different
> instruments has on the subsequent development of tuning skills. For me, the
> transition from string playing to tuning was natural, and I wondered how
> wind players felt about it, and whether their path differed from mine in any
> way.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Susan
>
> At 12:15 AM 5/14/97 -0400, you wrote:
> >In a message dated 97-05-13 19:39:01 EDT, you write:
> >
> ><< I think one can overemphasize the awfulness of listening to out of tune
> > string playing. Chamber music is still my great joy, though the chances to
> > play with people who are _really_ in tune only arrive years apart, when they
> > arrive at all. One can still imagine the music as one plays it, the way one
> > would like to have it. Hearing how it is constructed, and making one's own
> > part congruent with that, is still very gratifying.
> >  >>
> >
> >Susan and the list,
> >
> >It's interesting that this thread should work its way around to this point.
> > As a brass player (trombone) who works with other techs who are also brass
> >players (my associate has a Master's in Horn performance), this echoes a
> >number of the areas that we discuss at great length.  The variable intonation
> >instruments allow for a totally different level of musical expression, if
> >they are used correctly.  During brass quintet rehearsals, we will spend
> >periods of time discussing the tonal function of the parts and working out
> >modifications of the tuning to acheive that end (of course there again, two
> >of us are piano techs.)
> >
> >With the recent resurgence of interest in historical temperaments and
> >refinement of equal temperament, it's no wonder that we should be
> >continuously questioning "what really is in tune?"  Besides the ability to
> >compare a note to an absolute pitch reference (which I'm an eternally
> >thankful that we now have) the newest tool that is opening new doors of
> >understanding for me is the spectragram.  Spectral analysis of the tone,
> >particularly viewing the relative strengths of partials is giving me a lot of
> >new insight into "why" a certain note or instrument sounds the way it does.
> > Moreover, it is letting me begin to develop some cause and effect
> >relationships and compare before and after situations with something other
> >than just my memory.
> >
> >Personally I love discussing "applied tuning" with musicians, even the
> >violinists.  One of my favorite things to do when presenting a program to a
> >group of music majors is to start out by telling them that there is no such
> >thing as "perfect pitch." You can almost always see one person in the room
> >immediately begin to bristle up as the others look around at the supposed
> >posessor (sp?).  Then, citing Jorgensen, Barbour and the very subjects that
> >have been discussed in this thread, it's pretty easy to construct a logical,
> >reasonable case and hopefully keep the person with a highly developed sense
> >of tonal memory from making a fool of his or her self at some point on the
> >future.
> >
> >Sorry if this seems to ramble, but the subject is fascinating and there are
> >probably more people involved in it than we would ever imagine.
> >
> >Allan
> >
> >Allan L. Gilreath, RPT
> >Gilreath Piano & Organ Co.
> >Berry College
> >Gilreath@aol.com
> >Calhoun, GA USA
> >
> >
> Susan Kline
> P.O. Box 1651
> Philomath, OR 97370
> skline@proaxis.com
>
> "Agree with me now: it will save so much time."
>                         -- Ashleigh Brilliant