 The Fingering Forum
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Author: TorusTubarius
Date: 2003-04-23 22:50
Flute players. An observation from your oboe friends. I've noticed that a lot of the time a flute player will tune in front of the tuner, sound an A, and will eventually get it right on the money at 440 Hz. But then, once we start playing, they're back to being above the pitch all over, which of course then makes the higher notes extremely (and unmatchably if you're an oboe trying to double with them) sharp.
Why is this? My theory is that when you guys play into the tuner, you're not playing strongly enough and are consequently artificially lowering the pitch without thinking about it. However I confess that out of all the woodwind instruments, the flute remains the biggest mystery to me, so I would like to know what you think.
If it is something like my theory, then would you PLEASE try and tune your instrument at a real A=440 and not the one-time-in-front-of-the-tuner A=440 that I see so many flutists play? The oboe (if you know what you're doing) is extremely difficult to play well above A=440 if you're playing on a reed that is made to play at A=440. Intonation goes haywire, the tone sounds thin and too nasal, and you tire much <i>much</i> faster. So please, be kind to your oboe friends, for that duck could be somebody's mother.
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Author: flautist 4 now ww forever
Date: 2003-04-24 00:12
Ha! it is funny u say that 1# thing at festival the 2nd chair hates tuning( it takes her 10 mins just to tune, i tuned her flute and it took me 20 sec) 2# when u tune don't use vabrato( i think i spelled it wrong)because each time i tune the flutes and they use it ... the tuner never stays in the same range it goes sharp to flat back to sharp... I don't think this is right but my theory is most flute tense up when tuning instead of relaxing there jaw for a nice pretty sound and not an airy sound...I play obeo and i have lots of oboe friends they complain about it too ... the also complain about the high notes lol
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Author: Dee
Date: 2003-04-24 01:06
To tune correctly, some one other than the person playing should be looking at the tuner telling them if they are high or low. The player shouldn't even be able to see the tuner. It takes a lot of experience to avoid artificially bringing the note into tune to get a good reading.
Also it is an inherent characteristic of a flute to go sharp as it gets higher. It takes a good player to overcome that. You should try playing a clarinet in unison with a flute as they climb above the 3rd ledger line above the staff. Flutes go sharp and clarinets go flat in that range. So to pull off a unison requires a lot of effort on the part of the clarinettist and flutist.
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2003-04-24 03:57
ha...at festival this year, one of my school-grade friends told me about how the conductor brought in a bunch of lower grade "ringers" into the senior band, and how those flute players would hardly blow into their pushed-in-all-the-way flutes and then say: "yes! I'm in tune!" Then FFF came along and they were blowing almost a semi-tone sharp. Flutes are tuned having a certain air pressure going through, so it makes sense to play using a very high air pressure, and then tune. But that would just be too logical now wouldn't it....
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Author: sömeone
Date: 2003-04-24 11:21
well.........thats the truth.......its really difficult to tune the oboe.....espcecially for beginners like me.....
yes and the flute players.......just like that old chinese saying:" crows all over the world are black"
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2003-04-24 15:13
The oboe is only difficult to tune, if it is out of tune. Which, in most cases, is the player, not the instrument. (alright, alright...the cruddy beginner instruments are horrendously out of tune, but that's another story. Actually, that's another thing about beginner instruments: they aren't made with the same craftsmanship, and are, therefore, usually out of tune.
D-oboe
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Author: Steven King
Date: 2003-04-25 21:30
When tuneig you must must must must must................. use the same sound and air that you play with otherwise it will be out of tune. Make sure that you are not rolling in that will make the pitch flat and rolling out will make the pitch sharp. You shoud never never....... ever roll in our out. I have been doning this and trying to correct it and my professor is starting to get annoyied i think. A not for band directors: TUNE YOUR FLUTES TO AN A both octaves. Thanks
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