[Dixielandjazz] What a difference a key makes.

[dingle at baldwin-net.com]

Bill Gunter wrote:

>Stevie Barbone wrote (regarding my inability to discern key "tone color"):
>
>  
>
>>Since he is pulling our chains, the best retort is "Bill, If you have to
>>ask, you'll never know." With all that training, musical intelligence and
>>normal ears, you should be able to hear the difference for yourself.
>>    
>>
>
>When I mentioned Stockhausen, Boulez, d'Arezzo, and Schoenberg and my deep 
>understanding of their music I was making a joke. I'll never understand the 
>allure of Stockhausen and Boulez and I'm only at the shallow end of 
>Schoenberg.
>
>Also, I'm not yanking your chains. I sincerely do not know what people mean 
>when they say that the selected key conveys a tone color that is different 
>than some other selected key.
>
>I just did a musical experiment and asked my wife, Beverly (if you know her, 
>you'll know that she is always directly honest in everything she tells you) 
>to respond regarding her "tonal perception" of two arpeggios.
>
>I described to her the basic concept that people can hear a different tone 
>color in different keys and then asked her to evaluate an arpeggio I would 
>play. I then played a C major arpeggio. Then, after a moment I played a Db 
>arpeggio using the exact same intervals, volume and tempo and asked her to 
>compare the two.
>
>Her response: "The first one seemed light and airy and the second one seemed 
>darker -- like a rainy day."
>
>I repeated process and got exactly the same response.
>
>I'll repeat it again tomorrow when her "ear memory" of the experience has 
>diminished and when I do, I'll reverse the arpeggios (first the Db and then 
>the C) and see what her response is.
>
>If it's consistent I'll know there's something at work which can be verified 
>with further experimentation. If she's inconsistent then something else will 
>be implied.
>
>Understand - I'm not kidding about this . . . we're talking about a stated 
>perception here and I don't seem to be able to detect the thing when I 
>listen.  What am I missing?
>
>Two answers:
>
>1. I'm not missing anything and those who claim that a key conveys some 
>specific "tone color" are full of doo doo.
>
>2. I'm unable to perceive that difference which really exists regarding the 
>"tone color" of keys because I'm somehow musically deprived in some areas.
>
>If this so called "Synthesia" is an actual phenomenon which (according to 
>the data I read) is experienced by no more than 4 percent of the population 
>then the reality is that very few of you out there hear music as "color" in 
>addition to pitch, volume, duration and timbre.
>
>Remember - this effect has nothing to do with tubing, valves, length of 
>string, instrument, pitch, volume or any of that stuff . . . it simply has 
>to do with the key. If "do-me-sol-do" has a different tone color in C than 
>in Db, I'd like to know just what that freaking difference is.
>
>Respectfully submitted,
>
>Bill "still unconvinced" Gunter
>jazzboard at hotmail.com
>
>
>  
>
>>From: Steve Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
>>To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] What a difference a key makes.
>>Date: Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:54:01 -0400
>>
>>Bill Gunter has said (polite snips)
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Look . . . either the sharp keys have a different "tone color" or they 
>>>      
>>>
>>don't
>>    
>>
>>>regardless of ax.
>>>      
>>>
>>>A symphony orchestra playing compositon in F (1 flat) should have a
>>>different "tone color" than it does when playing in G (1 sharp)!
>>>      
>>>
>>>My question . . . "Does this effect really exist and how can you prove 
>>>      
>>>
>>it to
>>    
>>
>>>me?
>>>      
>>>
>>and then . . .
>>
>>    
>>
>>>There are those composers like Scriabin and Tschaikowski who have spoken
>>>about this in the area of orchestration. They note that each key has its 
>>>      
>>>
>>own
>>    
>>
>>>nature and color and has an impact on the particular key in which they 
>>>      
>>>
>>will
>>    
>>
>>>score the opus.
>>>      
>>>
>>>That implies that Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C#minor would somehow have a
>>>distinct and essential difference than the same composition played
>>>transposed down a half step and that difference does not involve pitch. 
>>>      
>>>
>>What
>>    
>>
>>>is that difference?
>>>      
>>>
>>and then . . .
>>
>>    
>>
>>>I am a classically trained musician with a
>>>deep understanding and appreciation for the music of our western culture
>>>from Guido d'Arezzo, through the 12 tone scales of Arnold Schoenberg on 
>>>      
>>>
>>down
>>    
>>
>>>to the atonalities of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez.
>>>      
>>>
>> he natural mortality rate for mourning doves is high; approximately 6 
>> out of 10 birds do not survive from one year to the next. Research 
>> indicates that mourning dove mortality is caused by a variety of 
>> factors including nesting failure, predators, disease, accidents, 
>> hunting, and weather extremes.
>>
>> F
>
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>  
>
Bill: My father, besides being a very competant reed man, had been 
trained as a classical violinist -- even being coached by Fritz Krisler 
when he was a younf lad.
I asked him why string players loved to play in sharp keys, and he said 
because they project overtones that are brighter to the ear, and they 
naturally favor them by rasing the tone a miniscal bit higher than a 
tempered piano. Enharmonic pianos cannot change pitch, but strings can 
create almost invisableimprovement, and espcially in charp keys.
Of course, he said, you have to have a damn good ear nthe first place, 
so development of a sense of pitch is job one for string instrument. Is 
hould be as well for all other instruments, I would add, though sadly it 
doesn;t always follow.

Frankly, I leave Stockhausen and others to them as like them. ME, give 
me Debussy, Ravel, and Impressionist and post Impressionists, and I am a 
happy man. Drifting off with La Mer, or  Ravel's  La Valse is the best 
way to get a sound sleep. (Of course a few drams of Cardhu doesn't hurt 
eitehr!)
Don