Klarinet Archive - Posting 000386.txt from 2005/03

From: ormo2ndtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] THE TEST IS NOW READY
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 21:14:54 -0500

pwHarris1 wrote:

> It looks to me that you are out to prove that
> your hypothesis is correct by first creating a
> test and then skewing the results by the
> selection of the questions regardless of
> whether the test is in fact a representative
> test of the original presumption.

NO, I doubt that any of us, except yourself apparently, believe that Dan
has this intention!

The experiment does have its difficulties, as several of us have posted;
but Dan is not trying to contrive a false proof.

In fact, the reason that some of us have posted our concerns is that
this experiment could yield a false _positive_ just as easily as it
could yield a false _negative_! That is, some respondents could appear
to recognize the 'German sound' because of a detail that has nothing to
do with the performance itself.

I received an email off-list about "honest recordings". The email
dragged electronic music into the discussion by pointing out that
electric instruments can create new sounds simply by twisting a dial,
and this is 'dishonest'. Perhaps the same sort of thing could deceive
an audience into hearing a "German sound" or 'French sound' or whatever.

I disagree with this use of "honest" completely, and this is not the
reason why I asked earlier about how mixers work. I don't even know if
recording equipment has treble knobs on the recording side of the
process, similar to how CD players have treble knobs on the playing
side.

The fact is that every artist who contributes to a performance ---
beginning with the architect who designed the auditorium, and then the
acoustic engineer who hung panels and curtains in the auditorium and
perhaps even chose a certain uphostery for the seats in order to improve
the sound, and then the composer who chose the instruments, and then the
conductor who decided what to ask of the performers, and of course the
performers themselves ---- all of these people needed to decide what
would sound best nd whatwould 'say' what they wanted to say. There is
nothing either 'honest' or 'dishonest' about each person along the way
doing their best to produce a particular result.

The question for this experiment --- however --- is whether any (or all)
of these decisions along the path to a performance can be summarized
with a name such as "German sound". And if so, are we describing the
player or the auditorium or the recording engineer or the nationality or
<whatever else>?

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