Re: what about simplifying music notation?

[David Kastrup]

Marc Weber <address@hidden> writes:

>> David Kastrup
> I'm lacking knowldege here. All I know is that in simple orchestras
> are using electronic tuners here. So they don't care about whether a
> note is 2 cents higher or not.

Trust me, a violinist cares whether he has tuned reasonably pure fifths
or not.  He'll stop tuning when he has to, but be less happy in the
process.

And I have been singing in choirs specializing in old music, and yes,
you learn which intervals you have to take how flat or sharp compared to
the equally tempered keyboard.

> I've never seen pitch annotations such as +10cent on notes. So most
> music huge masses plays from paper doesnt care about it. It depends on
> the musician playing.

Singers, wind instruments, brass instruments, (unfretted) string
instruments: all those are _correcting_ their pitches semiautomatically
in order to get reasonably pure intervals and harmonies.

When tuning an orchestra, there is a hierarchy of instruments consulted
for concert pitch, depending on how hard they are to tune/pitchbend: if
you have an organ, it rules.  If not, other keyboard instruments follow,
then the hautboys and so on.  String players are most flexible.

-- 
David Kastrup