String Intonation

Bradley M. Snook bsnook@pacbell.net
Fri, 26 Apr 2002 15:01:46 -0700


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Don, the research that I was talking about dealt with melodic placement of individual notes (i.e. cello intonation is not based on melodic movement). This deals with a musicians ability to actually temper a melodic scale. The point is that small alterations in distance can be made without much notice to the listener: the act of tempering a simple melody is not a significant event. Surly everyone on this list is aware of this. If not, next time use ONLY melodic movement to set your temperament. Please let me know how close you get . . . 

This is a psychoacoustical event. Vertical tempering deals with beats, but this phenomenon does not occur in horizontal tempering (notes do not sound simultaneously for beats to actually occur). Now listen very carefully . . .  violinist alter melodic intonation all the time, but this is not based simply on the movement of the melody. 

It has been awhile since I have read the articles, but I believe a saw a few in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. You will simply need to search the database for the specific topic that you would like to read-up on. But I am not going to take the time to do that for you, because that is not the kind of thing that you seem to be interested in. You want to see something that says that strings should use just intonation. That is not really research, that is simply [current] common practice in the profession.

Don: Please don't make statements that can not be supported without data. You are voicing an opinion. 
Hummm . . . well I am voicing an opinion, but what kind of data would you like me to show you? Have you ever heard a recording of a good quartet? If not, I would be happy to give you some recommendations. 

Don or Susan, you have never really said why you do not think it necessary for strings (brass sections, or vocals for that matter) to use just intervals. The entire history of temperament has sought to preserve as many just intervals on the keyboard as possible. Do you think that because we use EQT on pianos that we also use EQT on all other instruments? 

Bradley M Snook


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