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On 5/31/2012 2:59 PM, John Ashcraft wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:CA+ZhGBRH+6SWXPx=RANTu6BwoWL4Cm+e+UCsyqMJcO_988VeQQ@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">In the case of the top octave, you want broken and
simultaneous octaves to sound equally bad (equally good if you are
an optimist).</blockquote>
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<small>Exactly. That's why I said I "temper" between melodic and
harmonic stretches in the top octave. I think too many people
just go with beatless octaves, because it's what they've been
doing with the rest of the piano, but in recordings one often
hears the result as sounding flat. <br>
<br>
Actually, I don't think that one should make the melodic and
harmonic octaves EQUALLY good -- or bad. <br>
<br>
We have to think of how that top register is going to be used,
not just whether there are more simultaneous octaves played up
there ("harmonic" octaves) but also which variety of octave
(harmonic or melodic) will be the most prominent in the music
being played. Usually the truly exposed high notes which one
can hear clearly, the ones which usually sound flat, are
melodic. <br>
<br>
This is one more reason why it's important to go to concerts,
instead of just depending on one's own tests and maybe a few
minutes of playing one's most familiar pieces. Unless you are
there in a concert, you won't be able to get a really good
line of how your work is doing. I once thought of this as
being like someone who grinds colors for oil paints, but never
looks at paintings. <br>
<br>
Susan Kline</small><br>
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