On 26 April 2011 19:13, Steven Mumford <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > ....is it to make sure the ensemble plays in tune? It is the responsibility of EVERYONE participating. Everybody must listen to the pitch of what is going on around them, and be ready to make an instantaneous adjustment to every note they play. This is a bit of a hobby-horse of mine, I've played in too many amateur orchestras which made less of an effort at this than they should have. Now, you have to learn how to do this. The first thing to do is to make sure your instrument is as in tune with itself as it it possible to make it. This is how I go about it http://jonathanhornthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/05/tuning-your-horn.html http://jonathanhornthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-on-tuning.html Then, whenever you are playing in a group, you have to listen intently, and adjust the tuning with your lips and/or hand whenever you think you might be out. If you are not playing 1st horn, you work on the basis that the 1st horn is always right, even if you think he or she is wrong. It is more important that the horn section is in tune with itself than that individuals are in tune with the rest of the orchestra. So you tune to the first horn. One orchestra I used to play in, the first horn was always flat in the upper register. I was playing 3rd, so I had to listen out for when he went high, and flatten my notes to match his tuning. The principal is always right. If you are the principal horn, then it is your job to make sure you are in tun with the rest of the orchestra. So you listen out to any other nearby sections the woodwind or violins, and you make sure you are in tune with them, and you rely on the rsst of the dsection to go with you. Now, there are two reasons you have to be prepared to adjust every note if necessary. The first is obvious - whoever has the lead or the tune at that moment might be out, and you have to match them. It doesn't matter if you are perfectly in tune with a 440 A if you are out off tune with the solo line. The other reason is that pitch varies. Even the pitch of the same note is different depending on which key you happen to be in. I've described why here http://jonathanhornthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-flat-is-that-open-e-on-f-side.html http://jonathanhornthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/just-intonation-vs-equal-temperament.html Only keyboard instruments adopt that unnatural and messy compromise known as equal temparament. The strings will naturally want to play in just intonation for whatever key they happen to be in. Singers will tend to think in just intonation - without ever realising that is what they are doing. So you have to match. Remember, the horns don't lead for the most part, they blend. That includes pitch as well as tone. It is possible to do tuning exercises as a section. There are plenty or orchestral excerpts which consist of held notes or slow moving passages for horn quartet. Print them off from IMSLP and try them out. Here are a few examples. Sibelius 1, 2nd movement, beginning, letter F and letter P Sibelius 2, 1st movement opening, letter M, 3rd movement letter E Humperdinck, Hansel & Gretel overture opening & letter Q Brahms 4, last movement opening Bruckner 4, 1st movement bar 137 These are just a few that occur to me off the top of my head. There are many, many others. If you are practicing tuning just as a duet, then most of the Beethoven symphonies have marvellous duets you can use for the purpose. There is almost nothing in an orchestra that sounds as glorious as a balanced horn section playing beautifully in tune together. It will make spines tingle in the audience. Regards Jonathan West _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
