Klarinet Archive - Posting 000575.txt from 2000/08

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] The wrong way round, sorry
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 23:12:27 -0400

At 06:05 PM 8/19/2000 +0100, Tony Pay wrote:
>But what does 'tuning curve' mean, then? The word 'curve' to me
>suggests a change of tuning over the range of the instrument, rather
>than just doubling of the fundamental frequency every octave, which is
>what would be required for sounds-with-partials-whose-frequencies-are-
>whole-number-multiples-of-the-fundamental, like clarinets, to sound in
>tune. (OK, Bill?)
>
As Roland defines it in the same manual, "A graph that shows the changes in
pitch of actual tunings compared with changes in equal temperament is
called a tuning curve. Changing the tuning curve produces subtle
variations in the reverberations of the chords you play." The whole point
is, I believe, that the curve in equal temperament is a straight line. In
stretch tuning, the frequency graph rises from that line as you go up the
scale, and drops as you go down. It makes the piano sound more natural by
reducing the discrepancy between the fundamentals and the partials on
octaves and chords, which is required due to the peculiar manner in which
piano sounds are produced, including the string stiffness, etc., which
throws off the perfect multiples of the fundamental. Instruments like
clarinets are unaffected by this problem, but will notice the discrepancy
of tuning when playing WITH a stretch-tuned piano. In this case,
technically, the CLARINET is actually correct (that is to say, according to
the equal temperament "curve") and the piano is "wrong."

>And I still think that 'somewhat "off"' would be a bit of an
>understatement. David Renaud said, octaves must be stretched to some
>degree beyond theoretical for them to work.
>
>Can you measure it for us with a meter, Bill? It should be quite an
>easy task to see if it's stretched at all when OFF.
>
I suppose I'd better do some more research Monday, eh?

Bill Hausmann NEW ADDRESS: bhausmann1@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265

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

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