Thanks Tom...very interesting! David I. *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** On 10/19/01 at 10:29 PM Tom Servinsky wrote: >David, >The tuning of wind and string instruments is completely "just" tuning. >ET or HT temperament does not come into play at all. "Just" tuning is >referred to the tuning of absolutely pure intervals. > Obviously most of these instruments are capable of playing only one note >at >time so their tuning responsibilities have several criteria to meet: >Most orchestral instruments must be put into good relative tune by the >player. That is, they must have a good semblance to concert A440 through >out >the instrument in all octaves. The problem is all orchestral instruments >are inherently relatively out of tune within themselves, so a good player >must thoroughly understand his/her instrument and no where the trouble >spots >are. >Orchestral players must all have the ability to react and adjust their >tuning to be in tune with other instruments playing within that chord. >Absolutely pure octaves, 5ths,4ths, and even 3rds must be dead on clean. >So if the melody line is being played by an instrument which has a note >which tends to be sharp, then the other instruments playing within that >chord must adjust up or down to "just" tune to make that interval >absolutely >pure. >The interesting aspect of playing in an orchestra is the pitch is >constantly >changing to correct and adjust with whatever is being played. Good case in >point, take a oboe player who basically plays very well in tune but has a >middle G which tends to play sharp. Good orchestras will adjust to that >sharpness in a spilt second to "just" tune that particular sequence than >return back to the A440 pitch center. >So to answer your question, no... temperament does not play into wind and >string instruments tuning. >Again, as stated earlier, it's amazing that the orchestral tuning and the >tuning of a piano, be it ET or HT with all the complexities they require, >still exist and astound audiences as well as they have done. >Tom Servinsky,RPT >----- Original Message ----- >From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey@sbcglobal.net> >To: "pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> >Sent: Friday, October 19, 2001 5:54 PM >Subject: Re: more on this temperament thing... > > >> Ron, >> >> Of course some pianists are going to like HT. I have talked with one >great >> jazz pianist and he hated HT, absolutely hated it. I don't believe for >> second that the majority would ever take HT over ET on a regular basis. >> Question: Do other instruments have to be set up for HT? What is the >> tuning on a saxophone for instance? Is tuned to some sort of a ET? >> Obviously pitch can be altered as playing somewhat...how much? >> >> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** >> >> On 10/19/01 at 7:18 PM Ron Koval wrote: >> >> >In response to those that have talked about playing music that is not in >> >the >> >"right" keys for alternate temperaments, I'd like to share a little >story. >> > >> >I work at a performing arts high school, where I freely experiment on >the >> >faculty. A few years ago, a new faculty member came that is a jazz >> >pianist. >> > This coincided with my interest in tuning alternate temperaments, so I >> >set >> >on his piano many different HTs. At that time I used the mind-set of >> >making >> >the thirds at the top of the circle of fifths sound BETTER than those at >> >the >> >bottom. >> > >> >An ****AHAAAA**** moment with this faculty member forced me to rethink >my >> >'tuner's' mindset. I had recently retuned his piano and he showed up at >> >lunch and said, "wow, what did you do to my piano? I played this chord >> >and >> >just had to let it ring, it sounded so great!" >> > >> >Being in the tuner's mindset, I thought to myself, "He must have liked >the >> >> >C,G, or F chord, with the real smooth thirds." Imagine my surprise when >> >he >> >said it was a Db arpeggio from the middle to the top; over a B, F#, and >an >> >A >> >in the bass. >> > >> >*******AHAAAAAAA******** What an alternate temperament gives a composer >> >or >> >a pianist is like a painter's pallette; more tone color to play with. >> >Blue >> >isn't better or worse than red, it's just different. Likewise, C isn't >> >better than F#, it's just different. In the hands of an accomplished >> >composer, or performer, alternate temperaments enhance the pallette of >> >sound >> >available through modulation. >> > >> >something to chew on this weekend! >> > >> >Ron Koval >> > >> >Chicagoland >> > >> >_________________________________________________________________ >> >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at >http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp >> >> >>
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