Klarinet Archive - Posting 000602.txt from 1996/02

From: B HUDSON <XDPW41A@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Air Varie`e by Paul Ben-Haim
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 09:51:24 -0500

David,

I started to send this to you directly, and then I realized that this might
be of general interest to the LIST. You were sitting beside me during
David Campbell's masterclass at the Clarinet ChamberFest, and when David
was working with the tuning of the quartet against the first clarinet that
played. And you said something to the effect of the following: "the age
old tuning problem. If the strings are in tune with concert 440 A, the
clarinet is sharp in the upper register." And of course correct me if I
misheard you. Feeling like a fish on a very slippery slope between land
and water (as one of the oldest and least experienced participants present)
I nodded my head hoping some discussion would fill in the gap later. And
of course guess what .... .

The issue has come up again in that I think you know my musical world is
dominated by string players (cellist wife and colleagues), and repeatedly I
hear them complaining that my favorite players in the region are sharp in
the upper registers-- probably f above the staff and everything above it.
And a few string players I've asked about this comment vaguely that that's
why strings have a tendency to tune sharp to 440.

All explanations appreciated.

Bruce Hudson, xdpw41a@-----.com

Raleigh, NC