Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2015-02-03 05:12
Ooh, this one really gets my goat.
The chance of you hitting the pitch exactly the same next time is pretty much zero. The chance that you SHOULD hit the note the same way next time is also next to zero.
Since we don't play keyboard instruments, every note will be slightly different in pitch depending on the notes around it. Add to the mix reeds which are variable, weather which is variable, etc.
The only time this technique carries any weight is when it is used to highlight the quality of the chord, and whether in any given performance your note is more likely to need to tend flat, sharp, etc. If it makes people aware of how the chord should sound, then it has had some benefit, but if it is to fix 'wrong' tuning, then all it does is frustrate people. I realise there is a very thin line between the two and it takes a diplomatic conductor to know which side of the coin to fall on.
My pet hate is the players (flautists are terrible for this) who keep the tuner on the stand and play along with it, pulling faces when others are 'out of tune', when scientifically speaking, if you are playing to a tuner with non-keyboard instruments, you are the one who is actually out of tune!
The best way to personally 'fix' tuning is to understand where your note aurally fits in the context of the harmony and tune accordingly. If you have the fifth, it should be sharpened ever so slightly, a major third should sit a little flatter, etc. It's amazing how instants kick in if you have been playing for a long time and you get the chance to really listen.
You are not going crazy!
Rachel
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