Klarinet Archive - Posting 000836.txt from 1997/12

From: Floyd Williams <f.williams@-----.au>
Subj: Re: Ten cents -- can you spare a dime?
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 07:50:29 -0500

Ed, it entirely depends on the situation in which this long b natural is
involved. With a piano, it will be noticeably sharp. As the third of a G
major triad,(say, in a clarinet quartet), it will need to be lowered to
the tune of c. 23 cents at a@-----. If its part of a g# minor triad,
she'll be in great shape, as just a bit sharper will result in a
pure,beatless minor third. that's why an insrument(and the player) needs
to be flexible enough to be able to tune to these different situations.
Regards,
Ed Lowry wrote:
>
> Jacqueline Eastwood's discussion of what notes to tune to included the
> observation that her long B is ten cents sharp, but that (apparently)
> wasn't so much as to cause her worry. (I'm paraphrasing, so apologies if
> this is incorrect.)
>
> Now that we have tuners, of course, one doesn't need to hear that a note is
> sharp or flat, one can see it on the meter. This may not be good, since it
> can make us rely on the electronics in front of us instead of the ears
> within us. Nevertheless, Jacqueline's note prompts the following question:
> How much does a note need to be flat or sharp, in terms of cents on the
> meter, to raise concerns about whether the clarinet should be adjusted?
> Does Jacqueline (or any professional clarinetist) adjust for those ten
> cents whenever she plays that particular note?
>
> Thanks for your thoughts.
>
> Ed Lowry
> Sacramento

--
Floyd Williams
Queensland Conservatorium-Griffith University