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 Sound flat
Author: Simon 
Date:   2012-05-11 05:18

I have been practising a piece of music (macedonian) and listened to this peice being performed by a very well known clarinetsist on Youtube. The recording on Youtube is of good quality and the execution is superior.

However, when I play this piece, whilst I am certain I am in the same key, from what I can tell I sound lower, almost one note lower, if this makes any sense.

Is it my hearing playing tricks on me or I am actually playing flat. Do I need a different, shorter barrel etc.

I appreciate your input.



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 Re: Sound flat
Author: Katrina 
Date:   2012-05-11 05:25

They might be playing a c clarinet. Could you poat the youtube link here?

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 Re: Sound flat
Author: Bob Bernardo 
Date:   2012-05-11 06:23

More info on the piece. Is it a jazz piece? Most likely it was written for Bb. Often recordings are not perfect and the concert C or Bb can be all over the place, depending on the recording, then converting from analog to digital. If you can provide more info that would be great. Analog was far from perfect and digital are usually ok, but then can be problematic. For example the 3rd's in a chord and a scale is naturally played play, because it won't be in tune if it were to be played sharp. So with digital you often don't hear the overtones and with analog you do. It's complicated, but remenmber that digital is an electronic linear line, a pulse, with no overtones and analog have many, people can often hear for or 5 overtones. We also have to wonder how many times pieces have been reproduced, such as the Beatles being remastered digitally. Sounds good but sometimes I prefer the actually analog tape recordings. I've talked with others, Mitchell Lurie included and I transferred some of his recordings from his actual analog tape to cassette. He liked the cassettes much better than hearing the digital lenear non harmonic sound and didn't mind the noise of the tape. I'm not that fussy, but he had an amazing ear. It's really a hard discussion. There will never ever be a 100 persent agreement here from everyone.

Could this be the reason for tuning issues? How was it recorded? Can you send the link? Often several musicians with outstanding ears can hear whats going on.

Katrina could surely be right on about the C clarinet, because some musicians that really played by ear, with no music often preferred the C clarinet and the C Melody sax because it was easy to play in a group with instruments and the notes


Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces


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Post Edited (2012-05-11 06:35)

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 Re: Sound flat
Author: clarnibass 
Date:   2012-05-11 06:44

If you are playing this from sheet music, then it isn't necessarily that the recording is in the same key. It could also be a different clarinet so although the same fingerings the (concert pitch) key is not the same. Can you see the fingerings are the same in the video? If by "almost one note lower" you mean a semi tone or a whole tone flat then it's not the barrel. It's probably not the barrel anyway. It could also be the recording is not at the pitch it was originally played and/or some people playing sharper than others.

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 Re: Sound flat
Author: dubrosa22 
Date:   2012-05-12 09:57

My limited knowledge is that Eastern European artists/orchestras can sometimes tune pretty sharp.
Especially if it's folk or klezmer-type material. Often much higher than 442.



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 Re: Sound flat
Author: Lelia Loban 2017
Date:   2012-05-12 15:33

>> My limited knowledge is that Eastern European artists/orchestras can sometimes tune pretty sharp.
Especially if it's folk or klezmer-type material. Often much higher than 442.
>>

They do tune sharp sometimes, but it's generally about concert A=444 or A=446 Hz., up to half a tone sharp, not as much as a full note sharp. I'll bet Katrina's right that you're hearing a clarinet in C, not a Bb clarinet.

Clarnibass has a good theory, too. If this is a virtuosic piece played presto, the performer may have used the miracles of modern engineering to speed up the audio. Some computer programs to do that will adjust the pitch, but others won't.

Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.

Post Edited (2012-05-12 15:37)

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 Re: Sound flat
Author: Buster 
Date:   2012-05-12 18:02

Or the miracles of ancient engineering could be at play with an improperly set turntable. ;-)

(For the kiddies: That's the weird looking machine your parents have that uses those strange, large black frisbees.)

-Jason ∞ :)

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