As a seasoned 20+ year acoustic bass player (double bass, bass fiddle,
contra bass, etc) I've always knew it as "frettless" it must be a euro
thing to say movable frets. The only thing I knew was movable in
classical was the C-clef and I tip my hat to the players whom use it,
I just prefer my standard G & F clefs
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 17, 2008, at 2:58, "Augusto de Ornellas Abreu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
What about when playing with other instruments (acoustic guitar,
violin, silver flute)... Is there a compromise in terms of
temperament, somewhere in between equal and just?
On Thu, Apr 17, 2008 at 2:59 AM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Here's my 2 cents on the temperament issue:
It's all well and good to have the chart showing the variation of
each note
from equal temperament, and I speak as a scientist-type who likes
things to be
clear, concise, and preferably in a table where I can look them up.
With that
said, I don't think the chart is the best approach.
Here's my strategy for tuning my strings and tangents:
0.5) Play for a while with the strings pretty much in tune, to get the
instrument warmed up. If you do the steps below when the instrument
is cold,
you'll have to do it all again when it warms up. Apply fresh cotton
to the
chanters and trompette.
1) Tune the first chanter to a standard (such as an electronic tuner)
2) Adjust the chanter nut so that the octave tangent is straight up
and down.
The tuner can be helpful here, but your ears should ultimately be
able to tell
you when the octave is in tune.
3) Check that the chanter is still in tune to the standard.
4) Tune the second chanter to the first.
5) Adjust the chanter nut of the second chanter, also adjusting the
tangent so
that both tangents hit the strings at the same time.
6) Disengage the second chanter, and tune the trompette by ear to
the first
chanter. Use the appropriate key if you need a reference as to
approximately
where to tune the trompette (i.e. a 4th or a 5th) but in the end the
trompette
should be tuned to a pure interval with the chanter. With practice,
you'll
know it when you hear it: it will sound "right", as in, "Ah, that's
it."
(If you check the trompette tuning with an electronic tuner, it will
be "off"
by a bit. This is expected, because you used a pure interval.)
7) Use the trompette as your reference to tune the tangents on the
first
chanter. Some intervals will be easy to identify as being right,
some not so
much - just do the best you can, and practice, and refer to a tuner
if needed,
but remember that your ears are the best judge. Check the tuning
between the
chanter and the trompette regularly so that you know that it's still
pure.
8) Disengage the trompette, engage the second chanter, and use your
newly
tuned tangents as the reference point for tuning the tangents on the
second
chanter. Remember that these tangents must not just be in tune with
no
warbles or beats, but must also touch their respective strings at
the same
time.
9) Use either one or both chanters as the reference for tuning the
remaining
drone strings: mouche, petit bourdon, and gros bourdon.
10) You're in tune: play!
Your mileage may vary on this method, and it's best for just playing
with
other HG's or anyone else in just intonation in your key of choice.
When I started playing HG, I was a tuner addict - the tuner was God,
it told
me what the note should be, and I should adjust it to that note or
else. I
first started to realize that something was wrong when I'd tune the
C key
tangents with the tuner and tune my trompette in C by ear to the G
chanter,
and find that my C key was discordant with my trompette. If I tuned
my
trompette with the tuner, it didn't sound as good with the chanter.
Cali
encouraged me to use my ears more and my tuner less, and I've slowly
found my
way away from the electronic aid. It's not that tuners are
inherently bad,
it's just that they don't always give HG players the best advice.
Enjoy, and happy tuning,
Alden
