Klarinet Archive - Posting 001218.txt from 1998/04

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Lee's comments on dark and light sound
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 00:41:04 -0400

Dan -

You made my day - Its been a long time since I was referred to as a YOUNG
MAN. Many, many thanks, you see, I'm 69 years young - and - still going
strong.

Most days - 3 to 4 hours practicing. You can do that when you are retired.

As my question indicated, I suspected that there really wasn't any real way
to describe the term "darker tone". The replies confirmed this, but were,
nevertheless, quite helpful.

I'm well on my way to achieving the "darker", more classical tone that our
orchestra conductor wants. I like to argue, but not with orchestra
conductors.

Thanks, again,

----------
> From: Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Lee's comments on dark and light sound
> Date: Tuesday, April 21, 1998 9:08 PM
>
> Lee, in correctly assessing the inability of language to describe
> what he perceives as being dark and bright sounds instead used
> an example of Goodman and Shaw, one having a bright sound and
> the other having a dark sound, both in his opinion.
>
> I simply wanted to state that whatever position Lee used to
> describe the color characteristics of Goodman and Shaw,
> a random sample of 50 people would find some large number who
> perceived the sounds of those players in exactly the opposite
> way.
>
> All of which is by way of saying that it is the terms themselves
> that are impossible to define, not
> a weakness in our language or auditory
> skills. In my opinion, the terms are meaningless and, even
> worse, damaging because they presume to define or describe
> a characteristic that has no standard.
>
> It is precisely because of the irrationality of the terms that
> the young man who first asked the question on this list deserves
> congratulations and kudos. Someone told him the term, he did not
> understand it, and he asked. It would have been a lot easier
> for him to fake it and say, "Yes. I hear a dark (or bright)
> sound" in the absence of any standard on this matter, but he
> asked a question that cannot be answered because it has no
> answer.
>
> Bravo to him. He may be president some day, if he lives long
> enough with such an inquiring attitude.
>
>
>
> =======================================
> Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
> Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
> leeson@-----.edu
> =======================================