Notes 85-86-87-88.ab

[Susan Kline]

Kuang wrote:
> Of course Heifetz was not the only one who played sharp, in fact,
>a lot of famous violinists played sharp.  Believe or not, virtually every
>violinists have the tendency to play way too sharp :)

I believe it! It has been my experience too.

>	In general, children and women have more sensitive ears to higher
>frequencies.  Female tuners can probably tune very high notes more
>accurately than men (well, at least less "sharp" high notes).  Can some
>female tuners on this list share their experiences?  Has anyone ever
>complain about your high notes being "flat"?

A comforting notion, superior female hearing, but I feel that any male
deficiencies in the higher registers are probably only due to more exposure
to loud noises, most of which they couldn't avoid. I refuse to feel superior
to someone because they fought in the Second World War. Rather, the opposite.

I feel particularly fortunate, in that no one (not ever, yes, never) has
complained about the high treble stretch of a piano I've tuned. Not so lucky
in the bass -- I've often had to go over it with a customer, trying to
figure out where they prefer the lowest notes to be.

John Elving's idea about loud tuning causing sharpness later makes sense. I
tend to tune softly, unless I really have to whack, before a concert. It
might help explain my luck with the high treble.

I find a lot of pianos that have been tuned extra-sharp in the high treble,
as discussed in this thread. When it is really gross, i.e., over a semitone,
I think of it as a curlicue put on the upper few notes, like a flourish; a
very old-fashioned tuning habit. I've never found musicians who demand such
a sharp treble, not even the same string players who play grossly sharp
themselves -- they usually give a sigh of relief when I tune it back down.


Susan Kline
skline@proaxis.com
P.O. Box 1651,
Philomath, OR 97370

Murphy's out there ... waiting ...