In need of some encouragement

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

Davis Stang,

At 12:57 PM 9/8/2006 -0400, you wrote:
>Friends,
>I'm feeling a little bit discouraged for two reasons.

Fear not. Patience, Grasshopper.

>First, I am really struggling with my aural temperament tuning. I 
>understand intellectually how it is supposed to fit together, how all the 
>intervals ought to beat, and so on. But I have been practicing at home and 
>at customers' homes for a few months now, and I still just can't do it 
>right. By "do it right" I mean get it close enough to pass the RPT exam (I 
>use my ETD to test myself). My main problem, I think, is, I just can't 
>always hear the beats. For instance, I can nearly always hear the F3-A3 
>Major 3rd, and the F3-D4 6th. But I struggle to hear the A3-C#4 and 
>especially struggle to hear the C#4-F4. I can't percieve those faster 
>beats. And sometimes I can't hear the beating even when it's supposed to 
>be slow. Sometimes the 5ths and 4ths are loud and clear; other times they 
>are not there at all. Are my ears the problem? Is it my brain?


It looks like you may be hearing just fine, but haven't honed in on 
listening as effectively as you need to.

My usual advice/drill to folks at your point of learning is to have you 
determine where you _should_ be listening. Example: for F3-A3 major third 
you should hear the beats at A5.  BEFORE you play the interval, play the 
A5, release, then play the third. Your ear is still listening to A5 and any 
beats present should be easily heard (eg:listened to) at that point.

The C#4/F4 could be either dead or beating too fast to hear if there are 
cumulative errors in the temperament - try lowering the F just a little and 
see what happens. If you suddenly hear beats and then as you keep lowering 
the F they get faster, you started with a pure major third.  If you hear 
them getting slower, then the beats were way too fast to begin with.  In 
either case, the discrepancy didn't just creep in, and you have to 
backtrack to find that you possibly have one or more intervals which are 
beating the right speed, but "inside-out", like wide fifths/narrow 
fourths.  You may have to chase a bit, but using all the check intervals 
and sequences you can, you will eventually come out OK.

Some beats _are_ hard to hear sometimes, particularly if/when there are 
false beats/external noises (fans/motors/TVs, etc.) present.


My 1.2¢ (2¢, after taxes)




Conrad Hoffsommer - Keyboard Technician
Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
1-(563)-387-1204 // Fax 1-(563)-387-1076

- Right now, I'm hoping to live until my age matches my golf score,
- Until then, I'll have to be content to have my IQ match my handicap.