November Music Thread

The issue with perfect pitch is what the person recognizes as a particular note. If you train a perfectly pitched kid exclusively with a piano in equal temperament their idea of what the notes other than a are will be slightly wrong, even if consistently so. Same for any other tuning system. If tuning always is notes rather than intervals wheree do they put their pythagorean comma?

So I guess it is a disadvantage anywhere where one has to transpose (extra thought required) or adapt rapidly between perfect intervals and equal temperament or whstever other tuning system is being used (piano trio kind of territory where violin and cello need to tune to the piano rather than in 5ths).

The girl I know who has perfect pitch plays violin. Her mum was warned it would be a problem to play in ensemble/orchestra. Not sure how true it is. She doesn’t have any problem so far (but she is still quite tiny).

Which instrument would be most suited or beneficial for those who has perfect pitch if trombone/violin are regarded not to be ideal?

raspberry does he have difficulty when the choir's tuning slips, or when they're singing at a different pitch (if they ever do - our cathedral only very rarely does stuff with viols so doesn't often get to sing at 415)?

I've only known one person with perfect pitch, she was bloody-minded in the extreme so used to sing the solo in Stanford's Bluebird at correct pitch even as the choir sank down a semitone... she knew perfectly well what she was doing and maintained that it was the choir with the problem (well yes it was, but that didn't really help...)

Drummers thanks for the list. They're not on there. Mystery little cup things!

DS2 does have perfect pitch, they use him in choir to give the note! I was told he'd have problems playing trombone because of it but nobody told him that and he's just got on with it!

Our piano (upright Yamaha) was tuned about year to 18 months ago and is ok I think.

Only DS2 really plays it though. I know his piano teacher's needs tuning much more often

And actually it's one of the goals in their game...

Is it only me who can hear Beethoven's Symphony No. 5...?

drummers, yes, please let him have a go if pos! DS and I just collapsed into laughter every time we tried. It was hilarious.

Prada, DS and DH plays football in the room.... They use a softy baby ball though... That rings the bell....

Well we have un upright Yamaha from the fifties and that's the piano DS practised on all the way past g8 and to this day we tune once every two years! We wait for DH or DS to complain and then we call the tuner. It now needs more than a tuning, it needs some work on some of the hammer felts etc. But there is no money, so it stays as it is for now...

We have a baby grand here. Piano tuner said once the student gets beyond G6 (and thus the required amount of practice) twice a year tuning is minimum. Do you move the piano ever? Or is it next to a radiator r/in a conservatory? That'll affect tuning.

a study of beats
kutik that was absolutely mad
I will see when DS has time if I can get him interested.

School run. I am LATE!

Yes, its interesting going back to g3/4 pieces and replaying them, as they sound so much more polished and nuanced, and that's without practising for weeks.

Kutik, you have got me thinking about our piano, which DD plays, that was last tuned around 1999. It is an old Welsh upright inherited from MIL. It is a circa 1920 Marshall & Rose. DD has complained about one key being sticky and two out of tune, but I was planning to get it tuned some time in the future when more convenient..

although it might be cheaper to buy a new one.

Paul, as you may know, just because your DD is playing G7 pieces (or standard) doesn't mean she is at the standard. She may be working a way above the level required to pass the exam. A boy who DS admires from the bottom of his heart already passed G8 in Year 6. A year later or so, his former violin teacher (and DS's former teacher) invited him to join and perform a solo piece at an end of term concert. He played a piece which was listed for G6. But obviously his playing standard was a way above so it had much more depth in his performance.

One of the pieces DS has been given recently is listed for G7 in the past. But his teacher tells him he's got to aim to play at G77 standard instead.

No perfect pitch here either Kutik.
I bet they’ll both say ‘I told you so’ about the piano tuning

I was too slow to post mine. Missed Paul's posts! Sorry.

Paul, ha ha, I was also a bit suspicious about DS's claim. He often says things very very confidently as if he knows the world inside out, even when it's quite clear he should not know (because he's never seen or been or exposed to the subject discussing). So I often listen to him half of what he is saying. But this time he was correct.

He has a good ear though I think his case is more of having a very good relative pitch rather than a perfect pitch. I know a girl who has it. She is a tiny little madam, but can sing any note without a guided note. Things she can is so interesting.

Mini, ours is also Yamaha. We deliberately went for the maker due to the stability and reliability (and DS was practising on Clavinova until then so he was used to the bright sounds). Oh well, let's hope it lasts this time!

Niggle, good luck to her. She will do well! Sorry cannot answer to the questions as DS has no experience with violin exams. Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable will come forward.

So I would see how it goes with gr 6- obviously enter her when she’s ready x

I think there’s quite a jump between gr5-6/7.
Dd (10) doesn’t do any exams anymore, as her teacher isn’t that bothered with them.
She did gr5 at 8 yrs old, but is still working on gr7 pieces (not actually gr7 exam pieces- although some are past pieces -but I mean she’s working on pieces of that level).
Although she regularly tells me (and quite rightly so too) that’s it’s not the piece you are playing and what standard it is, but the WAY you play it that matters. Hahaha

Piano is out of tune, she was right.

G5 violin in three weeks, so DD is working on her pieces.

I have a question: so far DD has had high distinctions for all violin exams, and I am wondering if it would be a good idea to do g6 summer next year and g7 one year later (taking her to the end of Year 6 and primary school), or do g6 one year from now and g7 the following summer. Both will have the same result by the end of year 6, but I am not sure which grade to give the extra time!

kutik our first piano was old, rubbish and terrible. The tuner said it would need done every three months for probably the first year to get it as near to pitch as poss (never reached perfect). We have a Yamaha now and it was done in April after a settling in period. He said it would be fine for probably a year.

kutik, that sounds like a lot of tuning! I thought it was every couple of years, but someone who knows about these things would probably be more helpful..

Ha, we have the piano tuner coming today too. Dd (10) informed me last week that it needed tuning. I didn’t have a clue- so will interesting to see if she was right
Nothing too exciting this end, two exams this term for dd (8), gr 2 piano, gr4 drums rock school.

Our piano tuner is here today. DS has been complaining about some keys being out of tune. The tuner confirmed it was really time to have it done. This is the third time we have had the piano tuned since we bought it a year ago. Is it normal? I know some people get away with just once a year. I hope our environment is not so unfriendly to the acoustic piano...

Anyway, DS will be happy that they are nicely in tune now. My wallet is not so happy though... I am fingers-crossing there is still plenty time for the need of re-hairing and re-stringing for the violin. Yet we have only two instruments that require regular maintenance. Those who have many at home, the maintenance cost can be quite significant?!

schwan it doesn't ring a bell
can you find it here? ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/List_of_percussion_instruments.html

drummersmum a percussion question that might actually be a folk music question.

At playgroup the percussion box includes all the usual cymbals, triangles, claves etc., but also a set of three little very heavy cups, probably made of bronze? They're a bit like Tibetan tingsha, but they're hemispherical rather than cymbal-like. Maybe 7 cm diameter, about 3 or 4 mm thick. Two are tuned, to a and f, one is not tuned. The way they're hung (on shoelaces) it looks like the untuned one is meant to swing and hit the tuned ones in turn. They make a ringing tone, very pure if hit with a wooden mallet, lots of overtones if hit by the untuned cup. Any idea what they might be?

The lack of decoration, and acoustic credibility and completeness of all the other percussion, makes me think they're likely to be western orchestral instruments rather than folk instruments, but I can't find a description that matches them.