Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unm-cvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!cmcl2!lanl-a!unm-cvax!janney From: janney@unm-cvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.music Subject: wind instruments and even-tempered scales Message-ID: <758@unm-cvax.UUCP> Date: Sun, 11-Mar-84 22:13:23 EST Article-I.D.: unm-cvax.758 Posted: Sun Mar 11 22:13:23 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 13-Mar-84 08:38:04 EST Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque Lines: 29 Several recent articles have implied that, whereas singers and string instruments can easily play natural scales, wind instruments favor the even-tempered scale. At least in the case of woodwinds, this is not true. There are tuning problems inherent in the design of woodwind instruments. For instance, on the clarinet, which supposedly overblows by a twelfth, the actual interval varies depending on the length of the air column. For notes that use the whole length of the instrument the interval is wider than a twelfth: for notes that only involve the upper part of the instrument, the interval is less than a twelfth. Any woodwind instrument, however well made, is the result of many compromises between tuning conflicts and has many notes that sound out of tune. The player must make adjustments to correct for these. In general, the size of these adjustments far outweighs the differences between the even-tempered scale and more natural scales. These adjustments are made by ear during the performance and not according to some fixed standard (this may be changing now that solid state electronic tuners are widely available). I don't know much about brass instruments, but I suspect their situation is similar. And a trombone can play any kind of scale. Haven't bought a Korg yet, but I'm thinking about it. Jim Janney {parsec,ucbvax,gatech}!unmvax!unm-cvax!janney {purdue,lbl-csam,cmcl2,csu-cs}!lanl-a!unm-cvax!janney