John Howell wrote:
At 6:07 AM -0500 2/27/08, dhbailey wrote:
Interesting, if they're supposed to detune their lowest string by a
semitone, how do you feel about modern basses playing the part with
the extension on the low string? It would certainly be a different
tone than a detuned string on a traditional bass, wouldn't it?
Well, don't the extensions actually fret the string mechanically? (No,
I've never actually look at one up close.) If so, you'd still have the
open string quality, and of course you'd have the pitch. What you
wouldn't have would be the slight change in string tension, which might
or might not be audible, and which R. probably did NOT make the basis of
his request.
As David pointed out, bass gamba players routinely tune their low D
strings down to C when necessary, just as classical guitarists often
tune their low E down to D, all without damaging the instruments or even
changing the pitch of the other strings. This is not rocket science!
John
Yes, a half-step on a single string shouldn't create any havoc on most
string instruments or result in moving bridges or destabilization which
needs a week or more to regain.
however, more drastic scordatura, possibly involving all strings, or as
was mentioned in one piece detuning to where the bridge falls over is
quite a different animal which could easily antagonize many string players.
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_______________________________________________
Finale mailing list
Finale@shsu.edu
http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
