Klarinet Archive - Posting 000296.txt from 2004/11

From: "David Renaud" <manonrivet@-----.ca>
Subj: Re: [kl] pitch standard
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2004 14:49:31 -0500

> 4 cents? Most orchestral players only wished. Hahaha Even great ones.
Have
> you ever watched a wind player at a tuning machine? Or listened to what
goes
> on in an orchestra while the musicians are constantly moving pitch around
to
> "play in-tune"?

I am a wind player.... have played, and am booked for gigs with our National
Arts Center orchestra.
I know exactly what machines say........ My $1000 device is acurate to .01
cent not the 1 cent machines you are use to.

At midrange 4 cents is alot, in upper end it is very little.

I know exactly what goes on in the orchestra.
At midrange orchestral musicians may lower a 3rd deliberately 1 to 2 cents
to slow it down outside equal temperment. In the upper and lower ends
margins
of error incresease exponentially....more then 4 cents. But we are talking
about A440
and pitch standard.

I am not talking about deliberate variation for tuning choices in midrange
of 1 cent or so.
Nor about drifting pitch because of temperature, and matching where it is
going as it rises
of falls.

If you band members are bending notes 4 cents in the midrange to find each
others
pitch, then the pitch is all over the place.

I maintain 4 cents is allot.
Perhaps 4 cents and more at midrange is common among amature bands.
but that sort of spread at midrange sounds terrible any way you cut it.
I hear exactly what type of bening is required in community bands
.......and can not listen to it.

Cheers
David Renaud

http://drjazz.ca/pianos.html

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