Re: Re: Different Question About CC vs. BBb


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Posted by GC on March 10, 2003 at 10:48:29:

In Reply to: Re: Different Question About CC vs. BBb posted by Rick Denney on March 09, 2003 at 19:15:54:

I can not understand some of the quibbling in the threads below with Rick's comments. Practicality and practice in musicianship can not be equated to the position of a needle on a tuner. If you're in a section where your section mates will not move off an incorrect pitch, you have three choices: 1) play the same pitch that they are to keep the section in tune 2) play the correct pitch and hope that you can influence the others to get themselves in tune or 3) try to compromise and hope it doesn't even cause more problems.

If you have three players each tune a Bb, a D, and an F exatcly with a tuner and have them play the chord, the chord will sound out of tune. Tuner pitch and performance pitch are not going to be the same. I get ill with conductiors who want players to keep tuners on their stands and tune individual notes with the tuner instead of by ear; it just doesn't work. You may play an F# of a D major chord and a Gb in a Gb major chord in the same piece, but the notes will likely not have the same pitch; there will be subtle differences caused by the motion of the chords and the function of each tone within the chord. They have to be lipped into tune because of the adjustments that the player's musical (hopefully) ear suggests, not by a #$%$#^& tuner.

Furthermore, I have done side-by-side tests of compact electronic tuners and have seen them disagree over the tuning of pitches by as much as 5 cents. So much for objective standards.

To further complicate matters, people disagree over what is in tune and what is not. I have seen people get into shouting matches over how to tune the third of a major chord. From my own observation, people who play a lot of keyboards or who started music on piano or organ seem to be satisfied with flatter thirds than choral or band people, probably because of keyboard temperment systems.

Now, flame away.


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