Klarinet Archive - Posting 000349.txt from 2004/11

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] pitch standard
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 23:48:37 -0500

At 09:58 PM 11/8/2004 +0000, Joseph H. Fasel wrote:
>That's the peculiar psychological phenomenon, isn't it?
>We tend to regard the lower pitch as flat, rather than
>the higher as sharp. Maybe the slightly increased
>brilliance appeals to us. This certainly seems to be
>the reason for orchestras to keep pushing the pitch up.

The human ear is more tolerant of sharpness than flatness. It tends to be
detected as "brilliance" rather than incorrect pitch, which is why
violinists tend to tune high (essentially effortless for them to do). Of
course, the rest of the group has to tune up to match, so then the violins
crank up again, etc.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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