Posted by Rick Denney on March 10, 2003 at 14:14:15:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Different Question About CC vs. BBb posted by dp on March 10, 2003 at 13:28:11:
No, I don't think Klaus or Allen would clip a tuner mike to their bells during ensemble play. In the end, they have two choices: either stick with their idea of the proper tuning, or do what it takes to make the ensemble sound as good as possible under the circumstances. The choice they make depends on whether it is more important for them to be right, or whether they are prepared to yield to lesser players. Both of these choices, it seems to me, are superior to blindly following what a tuner says, because each has its basis in whatever is ultimately best for the music, at least from the perspective of that performer.
The principles we share are a commitment to the music, though we have different approaches to showing that commitment. I believe that music is always best served when the good players go the extra mile to work with instead of against the not-so-good players. That means guiding them to better performance during rehearsal, but it also means accommodating them when they can go no farther.
For example, if the two tubas are not in tune, the better player might say, "I am playing a good pitch for this note in this key, and I will continue to play this pitch, whether or not you can or will match it." The only time this would be acceptable is when the lesser player acknowledges the utter superiority of the better player and is willing to submit to such "leadership."
In the example I gave, Ray did command such respect from the rest of us, but most of the reason he did is because he didn't use that approach. When we were out of tune in a rehearsal, he would say, "We are out of tune. Let's tune it up," and we would try harder to match his pitch. Notice that he would not say he is superior, though we all knew it. He made it a mutual responsibility to each other to play in tune, not an act of forced submission. If we could not match his pitch, we might check it further during a break, in which case he might provide some assistance in how to tune better to a lesser player. This approach is far less rigid, and binds the group to a common purpose, but it still requires a clearly superior performer in the section.
Most bands don't have such superior players, and none of the players in the group may have the skills needed to cross a tuning gap. That's where having instruments with compatible intonation tendencies is helpful. This is the situation I was addressing before we ran off the rails.
In a performance situation, there is no excuse for any player to be out of tune with his mates, no matter what pitch he thinks is the right pitch, if he has the skill to correct it. That is just destructive. The burden of accommodation always falls on those with the skills needed to make the accommodation. That's the price one pays for playing with lesser performers, though it may be too high a price for some.
Rick "whose conflict resolution skills are better than his intonation skills" Denney