HT Experiences

[JStan40@AOL.COM]

<< Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 10:57:27 +0200
 From: "Ola Andersson" <pianola@online.no>
 Subject: SV: HT Experience
 
 > Dear List,
 > 
 > Ric Moody has urged me to post this to the List--..........................
 
 > Whaddaya think?  Bounced that ball right back out into the middle of the 
 > court!
 > 
 I agree
 
 I think a symfoni orchestra is stribing for playing perfectly pure, but I  
don't think they know what they are doing, 
 They do it by ear. I beleave the French Horn players is the most educated 
about this doing all the modulations of Wagner without sounding out of tune. 
String players can hide in the group and use one tenth of a second to find 
the right pitch together with alot vibrato.
 
 Do we have a French Horn player on the list that can give a comment. I've 
heard French Horn players disguess about 
 "this note is a major third and this one is a fith" and then they play them 
pure and not in ET. When a composer (de)compose the notes are stuck on a 
piano or computer but when a French Horn player plays he might change the 
intonation in a modulation even if he plays the same note. One of my first 
big experience with piano tuning was I can play chords very low in the bass  
if I tune the chord pure (No vibrato), That is what a French Horn section do.
 
 Nowadays we can hear people singing perfectly in ET. You sometimes can hear 
this streched vibrating fourth in a country ballad. Then we know the singers 
have been singing thrue a computer who have "tuned" the voices. 
     Paul Simon don't do that. 
 
 
 
 Back on track
 
 Ola Andersson
 Bergen Norway
  >>

Thank you, Ola--a most interesting post.  I think you are correct that the 
players don't think too much about it, they just do it.  But I do think they 
are aware of the situation, especially those with considerable experience.  
Yes, horn players especially (see a book on the subject by Chris Leuba, 
formerly of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra), but 
don't leave us trombonists out, either.....we tune that way routinely!

I confess I hadn't thought of the computer manipulation of less-than-perfect 
singers.......but I'm sure you are correct.  What a depressing situation!

Stan Ryberg