Klarinet Archive - Posting 000459.txt from 2002/12

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Intonation and allergies
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 12:19:39 -0500

Even using the method you suggest, if somebody doesn't know which C-number on the piano is middle
C on the grand staff (the true middle C), it still leaves room for ambiguity and confusion. As my
boss is fond of saying, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." We observe regularly on
Klarinet the confusion that people have about which note C3 really is. Saying (or writing) "C on
the staff" or "C two ledger lines above", etc. is so simple and so clear, it works better and more
efficiently in most situations than the objective nomenclature system that you outlined. Whether
two people agree on where middle C is or not, "C one ledger line below the staff" points them to
the same note right away, with little or no possibility for confusion. It's not all that arduous
to type the extra words, ensuring comprehension on the first try and getting on with the real
discussion thereafter. Just IMHO, of course. Unless it's known ahead of time that two (or 800+)
people share the same level of comprehension and/or exposure, I prefer to operate at the lowest
common denominator.

Neil

--- Bill Wright <b6w@-----.net> wrote:
> <><> When I said middle C, I meant the one in the clarion register
>
>
>
> Just for the record, two common methods of specifying a note (besides
> saying "C on the staff" or "C two lines above the staff") are:
>
> The lowest C on a piano keyboard is called C1, then comes D1, E1 etc
> until you reach C2. Then comes D2, E2 etc. It's easy to slip up with
> this system because the note immediately below C2 is B1, not B2
> (diatonically speaking, that is).
>
> Another method is to call the lowest note on the clarinet E1. Then
> comes F1, G1, A1..... In this system, the number changes at E, not at
> C.
>
> Since the piano method is more universal (how many harpists know what
> the lowest note on a clarinet is?), and since there is always the
> lurking confusion between written notes and 'concert' notes, the piano
> system is often preferred.
>
> Cheers,
> Bill
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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