[Dixielandjazz] De-Tuning

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

The following should be only done by professionals on a closed track:
That sounds a lot like putting a penny in the clarinet players barrel joint
(between the body and barrel) and watching his eyes bulge out or putting a
pencil suspended from a thread down the bore which drops the pitch 1/2 step.
A crude way to make an A clarinet.

Mardi Gras goers can't resist throwing junk down the bell of the sousaphone
to a point where almost nothing comes out.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 9:18 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] De-Tuning


> Anton Crouch <anton.crouch at optusnet.com.au>wrote (polite snip)
>
> > On a different note, literally, I saw (and heard) John Sangster de-tune
a
> > bandleaders banjo, while the leader had left his chair to go downstage
to
> > talk to the audience. Yes, you've guessed it - the next number started
with
> > a banjo introduction. What Ray Price sounded like has to be heard to be
> > (dis)believed.
> >
> > Have any of our listmates ever engaged in such subversive behaviour?
>
> Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown loved to do that kind of thing. In clubs,
they
> would come out and go right into the first number, Brown tuning on the fly
> if needed.
>
> Once Peterson, in secret, de tuned Brown's bass completely. Then
immediately
> went into a very up tempo tune as they got on stage. Brown started
fumbling
> around to get in tune. Peterson just kept going, looking at him as if to
say
> "What the hell are you doing?"
>
> Brown got even a few nights later by secretly placing a large amount of
> marbles over the strings of the piano. They started, and he feigned
> ignorance as OP hit the first chord and they started bouncing all over the
> place. OP stopped after a few bars and started removing the marbles with
> Brown laughingly helping.
>
> There is also a story about someone re tuning a banjo or guitar by a half
> step and then calling out tunes that same half step off. E.G. Calls tune
in
> B natural (for banjo) when the rest of the band is really playing in Bb,
> etc.
>
> Bound to impress the banjo/guitar player with the rest of the band's
ability
> to play in strange keys. :-) VBG.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
>
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