Phil Taylor writes:
| Indeed. I don't think it's limited to DADGAD either. I am aware
| that if I intend to play in D Major in standard tuning I always tune
| the top E a little flat to make the F# sound good. It's a compromise,
| because if I make it too flat the A and the top D will be off. But
| then I can compensate by pulling those notes sharp on the fly.
|
| I think you will find that everybody makes these kinds of compromises,
| whether they are aware of it or not.
I've learned to tune the e string of my fiddle a tiny bit sharp. The
reason is that pressure of the bow tends to drive the pitch a bit
flat, and this effect is stronger on the lighter strings. It's also a
function of how loud you're playing. Since you usually tune quietly,
when you start playing, the notes will come out flat. You can't
correct for this on the open strings, so it's best if the e and
possibly the A are tuned slightly sharp. This is one of the reasons
that classical violinists usually don't use open strings. But a lot
of "fiddle" styles require using open strings, so you learn what you
have to do to make them play in tune.
People who play fretless stringed instruments are usually quite aware
of their intonation, and can usually hear the difference between the
equal tuning of keyboards and the tuning that they prefer to use.
(The latter is commonly called "playing in tune". ;-)
For yet another reason for using a harmonic sort of tuning rather
than equal half steps, try some flute (or recorder) duets. In a quiet
environment, something that flute players eventually notice that they
can hear a quiet "ghost" note that us usually a lower pitch. The
frequency is the difference of the frequencies of the two notes. It's
fun to try to get this third part to play in tune. This can take a
bit of practice.
To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
