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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
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