Klarinet Archive - Posting 000224.txt from 1996/10

From: Roger Shilcock
Subj: tuning - clarinets and pianos (fwd)
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 12:13:55 -0400

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 14:54:09 -0000
From: Ian M Dilley <imd%BJSS.CO.UK@-----.UK>
Subject: tuning - clarinets and pianos

A short while ago there was some discussion about the clarinet sounding bad
with a piano. Jonathan Cohler says that the partials on a clarinet are
flat. I know that the partials on a piano are sharp. Worse, than that
octaves on a piano are tuned beatless so the pitch runs sharp towards the
top an flat towards the bottom. Could this be why some people don't like
the sound of a clarinet and piano together? How on earth can a clarinet be
in tune with a piano?

Ian D.

None of the partials in the notes produced by different species of wind
instruments can be in tune, surely, and yet people still play wind quintets.
Perhaps instruments sounding together have either to be as similar as
possible or as different as possible. (waffle, waffle ..). Non-Leesonian
"dark" clarinets and "rich" pianos are bad news together quite often, I
would agree.
Roger Shilcock

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org