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Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2)
From: |
Hans Aberg |
Subject: |
Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2) |
Date: |
Sun, 5 Apr 2009 10:35:47 +0200 |
On 3 Apr 2009, at 19:20, Anthony W. Youngman wrote:
If anybody can improve on those entries I'm all ears, otherwise can
somebody update the glossary? For the most part, I've just been far
more pedantic, but the existing bit about the trombone is, I'm
sorry, just plain wrong!
I think a problem with those sections is that they mix several
different concepts in a jumble.
Concert pitch is simply what the non-transposing instruments play,
when presented a notated note.
Then "pitch" is the perceived highness or lowness of a note. A primary
function is frequency, but it depends also on other things like
dynamics, scale stretch and non-linearity of the human ear.
Then one can choose a tuning frequency, or "absolute pitch". Usually
this is middle A, and often it is set to 440 Hz.
The above does not say anything about the temperament. Orchestras can
adjust on the fly between meantone and Pythagorean tuning, or
something in between, sharpening some intervals. Hindemith,
"Elementary training" mentions E12 (12-ET) as only for use on special
instruments like pianos and as notational simplification (when
modulating key signatures with more than six or seven flats or
sharps), very clearly indicating that the "circle of fifths" does not
close on other instruments, but is a spiral. Pianos are tuned with
scale stretch in order to compensate for inharmonicity. (I measured
some variable pitch instruments attempting to play the major scale as
closely as possible, and there was a variation of more that 10 cents
in frequency.)
The transposing instruments play a pitch other than notated. The
transposition is (generally) such that the musician uses the fingering
as on a an instrument in C. So an alto flute in G plays a note one
fourth below the written - middle C is played as G below. If one wants
the alto to play the middle C, it must be notated one fourth above:
middle F.
It is traditional which instrument in an instrument group that is
designated as being in C. For example, the first note blown over on a
flute in C is D. The traditional C flute has a joint extension that
allows it to play down to middle C, though some modern flutes have a
Bb joint, admitting to play one semitone lower.
[Hope all this was right. :-)]
Hans
- Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2), (continued)
Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2), Paul Scott, 2009/04/03
Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2),
Hans Aberg <=
Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2), Hans Aberg, 2009/04/05
Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2), Aaron Andrew Hunt, 2009/04/03
Re: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch (2.12.2), Aaron Andrew Hunt, 2009/04/03