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 ARCHIVED TOPIC: Traditional Fiddle Tuning YT Video - Is perfect tuning unattainable?


Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.fiddlehangout.com/archive/57304

RichJ - Posted - 11/11/2022:  04:19:17


youtube.com/watch?v=omK8JtK7Q64&t



I Just found this very interesting vid on  YT. My old ears just arn't good enough to appreciate the subtleties of what I think it's trying to get across so I'd love to find out what some of you folks with better tuned ears (and opinions) might have to say. 


Edited by - RichJ on 11/11/2022 04:47:29

alaskafiddler - Posted - 11/11/2022:  05:34:58


Those intonation schemes are for most part, fundamentally more in tune than equal temperament... and can give the music more expression and richness.



ET by comparison, can sound a little blah.



That said, ET offers a compromise that has it's place.



Mostly depends on the type of music.


Edited by - alaskafiddler on 11/11/2022 05:37:08

carlb - Posted - 11/11/2022:  05:48:26


How true, how true. A friend once told me that there are only 12 notes. My reply "You know that isn't true.

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 11/11/2022:  06:06:55


I'll take the notes I want to play, most of the rest of them ...... IDK .... I try to live with them. R/

ChickenMan - Posted - 11/11/2022:  13:11:00


If you're into this sort of thing, read this book: How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and why You Should Care)



Short interesting book. 

carlb - Posted - 11/12/2022:  04:18:34


quote:

Originally posted by ChickenMan

If you're into this sort of thing, read this book: How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and why You Should Care)



Short interesting book. 






Read it long ago; highly recommended. Plenty of used copies out there for under $10 through bookfinder.com

bookfinder.com/search/?full=on...1:114:179

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 11/12/2022:  06:29:49


Although I find it plausible that intervals may have differed a bit among regions, the video is not researched well, and it confuses equal temperament with Bach temperament. It’s also not true that the introduction of thirds in classical music led to the movement for equal temperament; thirds predated the classical period and even the baroque period.

Discussions about alternative intonations are a bit tricky because it must be clear that the intonation is intentional and not the result of poor hearing or imprecision in the left hand. I do believe there are some cases where pitches are altered for expression, but I also think that there are an awful lot of cases where bad intonation is explained away as artistic expression.

Old Scratch - Posted - 11/12/2022:  08:37:51


The trouble with that view is, IMHO, that it sets up 'classical' (for want of a better term) conventions as the standard, deviations from which then need to be justified or dismissed. From within a given tradition, however, the question of those deviations may well be irrelevant. I like to use singing as an analogy: if Hank Williams or Howlin' Wolf sings a note 'flat', is he 'altering' the pitch for expression or is he lacking in technique? Within the worlds of those singers, the question has no place. Which isn't to say that they wouldn't understand the question, but they probably would struggle to understand why it's being asked.

Lonesome Fiddler - Posted - 11/12/2022:  12:09:22


Let a thousand interval flowers bloom! But, yeah, it's best to know which interval might be the best one at any given moment. As Old Scratch implies, have you ever noticed how comedically stiff a symphony orchestra can be when trying to play the blues?

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 11/12/2022:  17:57:47


quote:

Originally posted by Old Scratch

The trouble with that view is, IMHO, that it sets up 'classical' (for want of a better term) conventions as the standard, deviations from which then need to be justified or dismissed. From within a given tradition, however, the question of those deviations may well be irrelevant. I like to use singing as an analogy: if Hank Williams or Howlin' Wolf sings a note 'flat', is he 'altering' the pitch for expression or is he lacking in technique? Within the worlds of those singers, the question has no place. Which isn't to say that they wouldn't understand the question, but they probably would struggle to understand why it's being asked.






If a singer unintentionally sings out of tune, then yes, it's due to a lack of technique. Being able to sing in tune is expected of any serious musical style. This is why it's humorous when someone like Jack Benny plays the violin in an act. It's also why recordings by people like Florence Foster Jenkins and the Shaggs are cult classics--they're so hopelessly bad that they're entertaining.



If classical music is the form of violin music played throughout the entire world and represents the overwhelming majority of violin music played, why shouldn't it be considered standard? 

Old Scratch - Posted - 11/12/2022:  18:30:33


I've observed and participated in this argument before:  it reflects two polar opposite ways of understanding music, and no one's mind is going to be changed, so I'm just going to drop it, if it's all the same.

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