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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000065.txt from 2007/10
From: David Lurie <klingsor@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] Play loud ...and louder!
Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:12:48 -0400
At 12:26 PM 10/4/2007, you wrote:
>One very important aspect of tuning is to play only the A.
Of course it is. But in the real world that is practically impossible
to achieve. No one in any orchestra that I have a ever played in will
stick to nothing but an A during the tune-up period.
>The varied
>harmonics of other notes interfere with hearing any beat, which after all
>the ultimate criterion of being "in tune" with the reference pitch.
>The moving intonation as notes change function in the harmony etc. is best
>attended to by the attitude among players of "be here NOW" so the needed
>small adjustments are always in their awareness. Democracy is important even
>in orchestral pitch. Leave the dictator on the podium where he cannot mess
>up the pitch too much.
I have found that conductors prefer to stay far away from such
details, unless the orchestra can not do it properly without their
intervention. In general, they don't wanna be bothered with such trivia.
I just can't see it as a matter of "democracy" either. Once the pitch
level has been decided upon - A=440 or whatever - that's it. After
that, the pitch is not anything that can be argued over. A note is
either in tune or it's not. That's only for the A, of course. Once
you start playing other notes, different problems happen.
David
>Herb
>
>
>On 10/4/07 8:52 AM, "David Lurie" <klingsor@-----.com> wrote:
>
> > At 11:02 AM 10/4/2007, you wrote:
> >> Read about the loudest tuning note in oboe history on my blog:
> >> http://oneflute1oboe.livejournal.com/
> >>
> >> ~Angela
> >
> > I read what you wrote there, which I will quote as follows:
> >
> >
> > For the Orange County Symphony, I refuse to give A while people are
> > practicing/warming up/talking/wandering around/etc. The concertmaster
> > stands up, things settle down, and *then* I play.
> >
> > At tonight's random gig, however, I was expected to give A while
> > people were practicing. I waited... and waited... and the
> > concertmaster grew impatient. With ME. So I proceeded to give the
> > loudest freaking A that you have ever heard.
> >
> > That seems to me to be silly as well as amateurish in the extreme.
> > This concertmaster obviously does not know how to perform the tuning
> > job. In a professional orchestra, the concertmaster stands up if
> > everyone does not quiet down immediately, taps his bow on the stand
> > until everyone stops playing. then you play the tuning A. Also you
> > should play the A softly, not loud, so that everyone will have to
> > exert themselves just a little to hear it, and then not play too loud.
> >
> > Yes, I realize that tuning is pointless. Everyone is just going to
> > play sharp no matter what. But if we're going to pretend to do it,
> > then we should pretend to have a go at doing it right, with everyone
> > pretending to listen to the reference pitch.
> >
> > I can perhaps be called a snob, like you, but tuning is not pointless
> > if the group is serious. Obviously, the group you play in is NOT
> > serious about it, so I can understand your attitude. But a serious
> > group, will take tuning seriously. That the pitch rises is
> > inevitable, no matter what group it is. But then there is no problem
> > as long as it is held under control and the orchestra re-tunes often
> > enough. That is a job for the conductor and/or the concertmaster. If
> > they goof folks don't; know enough about how to do it, then perhaps
> > you should start to educate them by initiating discussions concerning
> > these matters.
> >
> > David
> > /oboe snob
> > <http://oneflute1oboe.livejournal.com/187465.html>Link
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > For personal help: email doublereed-owner@-----.org
> > Doublereed is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
> >
>
>
>
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