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Author Topic: "dedic" tuning  (Read 11518 times)

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Falseknight

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2009, 11:24:04 AM »

Agree with IanD - Violinists (guitarists, mandolin players) all use tremolos above and below.  The only exceptions I can think of are the blues players who get a tremolo by bending the string sideways rather than rocking up and down the string (behind the fret).

The other issue is that a tremolo on a string (or wind) instrument is a periodic variation of pitch  This should strictly be called a vibrato.  The tremolo produced on a free reed instrument is the periodic variation of volume caused by the beating of a detuned reed pair.  The effects are not directly comparable.
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waltzman

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2009, 12:22:22 PM »

Agree with IanD - Violinists (guitarists, mandolin players) all use tremolos above and below.  The only exceptions I can think of are the blues players who get a tremolo by bending the string sideways rather than rocking up and down the string (behind the fret).

The other issue is that a tremolo on a string (or wind) instrument is a periodic variation of pitch  This should strictly be called a vibrato.  The tremolo produced on a free reed instrument is the periodic variation of volume caused by the beating of a detuned reed pair.  The effects are not directly comparable.

Yes, I know that the effects are not the same.  I was just searching for ideas.  I was not aware that there were (are) accordions that are deliberately tuned concert and flat with no sharp reeds.
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Theo

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2009, 12:49:21 PM »

Yes, I know that the effects are not the same.  I was just searching for ideas.  I was not aware that there were (are) accordions that are deliberately tuned concert and flat with no sharp reeds.

But there are many, especially Piano accordions which are deliberately tuned slightly sharp, eg A=441 or 442,
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Lars

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2009, 01:13:26 PM »


But there are many, especially Piano accordions which are deliberately tuned slightly sharp, eg A=441 or 442,

But aren't these to be played with OTHER instruments tuned slightly sharp (A=441-442) as well?

I know that in the 30's and 40's, a number of the New York and Boston melodeon players had their boxes tuned to A=445 to be played along with others tuned to 438 or 440. And then with a range of +/- 15-20 cents, you would be absolutely SURE to hear the melodeon, even with a number of saxophones doing the meloody as well.
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IanD

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #24 on: February 07, 2009, 01:15:15 PM »

Yes, I know that the effects are not the same.  I was just searching for ideas.  I was not aware that there were (are) accordions that are deliberately tuned concert and flat with no sharp reeds.

But there are many, especially Piano accordions which are deliberately tuned slightly sharp, eg A=441 or 442,

There is a theory that the added "bite" of playing lightly sharp -- at the expense of being in tune, of course -- is what lead to average concert pitch creeping upwards during the 19th and early 20th centuries, until it was reset to A440 to unify all the different pitches in use.

This could be one reason for some accordions being tuned sharp -- unless it's to play in tune with the melodeons which are already tuned sharp because of using concert/sharp reeds...

Ian
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IanD

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #25 on: February 07, 2009, 01:17:39 PM »


But there are many, especially Piano accordions which are deliberately tuned slightly sharp, eg A=441 or 442,

But aren't these to be played with OTHER instruments tuned slightly sharp (A=441-442) as well?

I know that in the 30's and 40's, a number of the New York and Boston melodeon players had their boxes tuned to A=445 to be played along with others tuned to 438 or 440. And then with a range of +/- 15-20 cents, you would be absolutely SURE to hear the melodeon, even with a number of saxophones doing the meloody as well.

I don't thing tuning deliberately sharp to be heard over other instruments in a band is a good thing -- if you really want to take this to it's logical extreme you could play a tune in D on an Eflat box, that would *really* make you stand out :-)

Ian
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Accordion Dave

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #26 on: February 07, 2009, 03:16:32 PM »

My Lombardi 2-row in the key of G-Sharp/C-Sharp (A-Flat/D-Flat) really "stands out" when I try to play along with a recording of one of my G/C boxes.

Obviously it sounds totally out of tune. However, using the pitch control on the tape recorder enables me to play a duet using these two boxes. 

I wonder why it was tuned a half tone sharp from the more common Hohner G/C boxes.
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Falseknight

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Re: "dedic" tuning
« Reply #27 on: February 08, 2009, 06:07:29 PM »

There used to be a high-pitch tuning standard (A=450/455) if I remember correctly, which is coming close to a semitone sharp.  Lots of old Rudalll Carte orchestral flutes (Boem and 1867 system) are still doing the rounds, some with half inch "correction" sleeves.  Suggest you had a high pitch G/C.
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