Comments on: A Study in Relativity: Your Tuner and You http://www.livmusic.com/2006/04/17/a-study-in-relativity-your-tuner-and-you/ Ruminations on a life behind three buttons Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:40:35 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Derek Reaban http://www.livmusic.com/2006/04/17/a-study-in-relativity-your-tuner-and-you/comment-page-1/#comment-132 Derek Reaban Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:07:45 +0000 http://www.livmusic.com/lmi/2006/04/17/a-study-in-relativity-your-tuner-and-you/#comment-132 Craig, I enjoy the topic of intonation. It seems like there are at least three pieces to the intonation puzzle, which can be considered in several different ways. Determining the position of a specific note in a chord with respect to an equitempered scale or Just Intonation clearly can start off as an intellectual exercise. Scrutinizing the quality of the sound with respect to intonation (flat horn, sharp sound production concept) can also fall into the category of an intellectual exercise at first, and later move to a visceral experience. The third aspect is letting the ear guide the intonation process (by using drone pitches) and focusing on the quality of the interval and the associated resultant tones (very little intellectual, and almost entirely visceral). I really like what you have presented here! I’m not sure if you ever saw the article that I wrote on intonation based on the Christopher Leuba article on Musical Intonation. If your readers are interested, here is a link to A440, Savings Bonds, and Symphony Trumpet players: http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10693 After the article, several posts down, I also look at note position with respect to an individual chord (the 2nd trumpet parts for Mahler 2 and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra). This intellectual approach can be helpful at first to know which direction certain notes need to move to be “in tune”. After that, allowing the ear to do the fine tuning makes everything work the best. I’m always amazed when a player is on the same note for two different chords and on the second chord everyone else moves. If the player was on the major third for the first chord and then is on the minor third for the second chord, it will require a movement of 30 cents to remain in tune! The major third wants to be 14 cents lower than equal temperament and the minor third wants to be 16 cents higher than equal temperament. That’s amazing to me, and certainly an area where some intellectual consideration can help solve some ensemble problems. Thanks for writing all of these thought provoking articles. I really enjoy them! Derek Reaban Tempe, Arizona Craig,

I enjoy the topic of intonation. It seems like there are at least three pieces to the intonation puzzle, which can be considered in several different ways. Determining the position of a specific note in a chord with respect to an equitempered scale or Just Intonation clearly can start off as an intellectual exercise. Scrutinizing the quality of the sound with respect to intonation (flat horn, sharp sound production concept) can also fall into the category of an intellectual exercise at first, and later move to a visceral experience. The third aspect is letting the ear guide the intonation process (by using drone pitches) and focusing on the quality of the interval and the associated resultant tones (very little intellectual, and almost entirely visceral).

I really like what you have presented here!

I’m not sure if you ever saw the article that I wrote on intonation based on the Christopher Leuba article on Musical Intonation. If your readers are interested, here is a link to A440, Savings Bonds, and Symphony Trumpet players:

http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10693

After the article, several posts down, I also look at note position with respect to an individual chord (the 2nd trumpet parts for Mahler 2 and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra). This intellectual approach can be helpful at first to know which direction certain notes need to move to be “in tune”. After that, allowing the ear to do the fine tuning makes everything work the best.

I’m always amazed when a player is on the same note for two different chords and on the second chord everyone else moves. If the player was on the major third for the first chord and then is on the minor third for the second chord, it will require a movement of 30 cents to remain in tune! The major third wants to be 14 cents lower than equal temperament and the minor third wants to be 16 cents higher than equal temperament. That’s amazing to me, and certainly an area where some intellectual consideration can help solve some ensemble problems.

Thanks for writing all of these thought provoking articles. I really enjoy them!

Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona

]]> By: Dick Stacey http://www.livmusic.com/2006/04/17/a-study-in-relativity-your-tuner-and-you/comment-page-1/#comment-125 Dick Stacey Sat, 22 Apr 2006 07:41:06 +0000 http://www.livmusic.com/lmi/2006/04/17/a-study-in-relativity-your-tuner-and-you/#comment-125 I've never been a 'needle-pegger' but your article has really opened my eyes. It is really important to remember that a tuner is just what you say - a tool, and we should sometimes trust our ears over the results it gives us. I'll be away to my tuner later to find out what 27 cents flat actually sounds like! I’ve never been a ‘needle-pegger’ but your article has really opened my eyes. It is really important to remember that a tuner is just what you say – a tool, and we should sometimes trust our ears over the results it gives us.

I’ll be away to my tuner later to find out what 27 cents flat actually sounds like!

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