Klarinet Archive - Posting 000839.txt from 2000/05

From: Audrey Travis <vsofan@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Tone -- a neurological approach
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 10:01:20 -0400

Good points, Paul. I agree that most working clarinettists understand "dark"
and "bright" even though they may not be able to express meaning verbally. Do
we all agree what "green" means? Can we express or identify it? Look outside
- in my part of the world it's Spring. There are hundreds of greens out
there. They are all validly green, but they're NOT the same. Yet we all agree
that each shade is green. So what are we quibbling about, anyway? Even if 5
different demonstrations of 'dark' produce five different tones, we all have a
generalized image(from the word 'imaginatiom') of what the sound 'dark' means
to us, just as we all have an image of what 'green' means to us. If I point to
lime green and someone else insists that sea green is the 'correct' green,
who's right? As I said a couple of weeks ago, just because we can't agree to a
meaning expressed by words alone, doesn't mean we should be prohibited from
using a word. I believe other senses will come forward and attach meaning
valid to each individual.

Cheers all,

Audrey

Paul Miller wrote:

> Bill --
>
> If you ask any five clarinet teachers to demonstrate a "dark" sound, four of
> them will oblige, and the other will begin to discuss why it's wrong to use
> "dark" to describe tone color. There will certainly be differences between
> those demonstrations, but I think that there is a general consensus when it
> comes to tone color. Even you probably know what to do when a conductor
> asks for a darker tone in a given passage, and I'm certain that you don't
> argue terminology with him (or her). So, really, it's not the terminology
> that is so important, it's the student's conceptualization of what a
> clarinet is supposed to sound like in most situations (according to our
> "classical" tradition), and that conceptualization, and tone, is developed
> over time. I'm writing a piece right now and in it I mark "bright." Why?
> because I don't have a better word. I could say, "emphasize the overtones
> and reed sound" or "overblown" or "shrill" or something, but those wouldn't
> be what I'm looking for -- "bright" gets the point across. It's perfectly
> clear to 99.999% of all performers, even though there are some that would
> quibble over terminology.
>
> I guess what I'm saying is that for most musicians, terms like "dark" and
> "bright" have a real meaning, and one that can be used in the day-to-day
> musical situations. The fact that a test audience of non-musicians were
> suggestible as to thinking one sound was dark, or bright, is indicative of
> the fact that they were (duh) not musicians, and therefore never educated as
> to what a dark or bright sound is. A lack of agreement is, of course, a
> given. Our terms to describe tone color are fairly specialized, and perhaps
> there could be better terminology, but every one of my colleagues at school
> knows exactly what I'm talking about when I say "dark" or my friend says
> "bright."
>
> (keep the flames to a minimum)
>
> -- Paul
>
> > The complete LACK OF AGREEMENT on
> > what they meant is what proves Dan's point.
> >
> > A teacher can demonstrate what he/she considers a dark sound, but that
> will
> > not necessarily correlate at all with what some OTHER teacher will think
> is
> > dark. The term will have meaning only within that first student-teacher
> > relationship.
> >
> >
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
> Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
> Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
> Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org