Klarinet Archive - Posting 000213.txt from 1998/09

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Short barrels
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 23:19:08 -0400

At 06:45 PM 9/6/98 -0500, Roger Garrett wrote:
>> I don't really believe that school
>> brass players are playing any sharper than they ever did. A=440 is LAW in
>> bands.
>
>We'll just have to disagree on this one Bill. Innovations in jazz study
>and the marching situation in most high school bands is causing trumpet
>and trombone players to do almost anything to achieve a range...including
>using small mouthpieces, pinching, etc. Some of the bands I have judged
>actually tuned at A440 and were at A444 by the end of the performances! I
>keep a tuner on my table for these events......you might be surprised.
>
OK, but is this really any different from what has happened all along? As
long as they are initially tuning to A=440, what happens after that is
aberation, not deliberate, designed pitch raising. Besides, where I do
business, the trend among brass players is toward LARGER mouthpieces,
emphasizing big sound over range.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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