From dan.for@tiscali.cz Tue Dec 04 04:37:08 2012
Subject:Re: 30 yr old Korg BX3 question

As I have written there can be some very small differences between
different keys in practical musical life, as perfect equal temperament
is possible only on electronic instruments. Anyway it's not so
"perfect" from the point of sound, it's only artificially created
mathematical construction which allows to play in all keys and
modulate freely. But fact is that all keys sound the same, and what's
worse - the same badly and out of tune. But we in Western culture
where music is based on 12 tone system with same size of steps are
somehow used to it and can live with it. And it's quite satisfactory
for atonal music.

But fortunately there are some exceptions. Piano uses stretched tune,
harpsichord is tuned in meantone or Werckmeister temperament (and
sometimes in Baroque tuning with A = 415 Hz or different), pipe organ
can also use some historical temperament, and mixtures are tuned in
just temperament...

Voices, string instruments and trombone, and to some degree also other
instruments (fretted stringed instruments, woodwinds and other brass)
can freely tune individual notes in real time, and they do it
according to musical context - horizontal (melody) and vertical
(chords). It's based on:
--- melodic tendency - steps up are done bigger, also leading note in
key is performed higher, also chromatic tones which go up (with sharps
or natural). Intervals down are made shorter, smaller, also chromatic
halftones down are made smaller.
--- harmonic tendency in the case of standard chords based on thirds,
and functional harmony. Chords are tuned to sound full and in tune
(which means tendency to make them sound almost in just tuning), and
harmonic context is also taken into the account (relations between
chord functions in tonality, modulations, and work with consonance and
dissonance).

This way also chamber groups, chamber orchestras, brass bands, big
bands, choirs and symphonic orchestras work.

When string instrument is accompanied by piano, performer has to
change his way of microtuning and follow piano. Which is not easy. To
me violin and piano is one of the most bad instrument combination.

Also orchestral mallet percussion (vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells,
glockenspiel...) are tuned in equal temperament.

So in reality music tuning is very living organism, with feedback and
self-improving - target is to get logical and well tuned music. Well
tuned doesn't mean dead, without beating, focused to exact frequency -
first it's not possible to obtain, second even if it would be
possible, it would sound terribly bad. So in fact we have always some
amount of detuning, chorus effect, slightly "fat" tones unfocused in
pitch, because there are small differences between individual tones of
individual players in orchestra. But exactly this together with wide
space positioning of performers and with reverb in the concert hall is
what we want and what we like, because it's satisfactory.

All this is independent from the system of major and minor keys, and
modal or functional harmony based on thirds. It works in all keys.

There are many reasons why tonal, extended tonal and post-tonal
composers wrote music in different keys. One of the reason can be that
it's good to have following songs, movements and works on program in
concert (or on CD) in different keys, just to have some change. Each
tonality can offer different range of vocal, for example. Second
reason can be tactile - when composer makes music with the help of
some instrument, or based on improvisation, each key has different
fingering and offers different ideas, purely derived from relations
between black and white keys.

Because there's no difference for example between Gb major and F#
major, or G# minor and Ab minor on the keyboard instrument, everybody
who will proclaim there must be a difference because those keys have
different key signature is wrong. There can be only psychological
difference when reading the score, but no difference in the resulting
sound.

But more important than absolute pitch of some key are relative
relations between different keys used in one work. Most of tonal music
uses modulations, they don't stay only in one key. These changes are
one of simple means how to make tension and relax, consonance and
dissonance, and contrast and change of atmosphere.
When we transpose such music to different starting key, of course
these relations are preserved and have the same effect on listeners.

Normally there's no reason for transposing solo piano piece of
Shostakovitch from F#mi to Ami. From what I have written it's clear
that basically it will sound the same, but thanks to piano stretch
tuning there are some small differences between intervals, and keys on
this instrument. Second: there can be practical problems due different
tactile interface - we have to change fingering, and some wide chords
or other elements which worked in F#mi (thanks to certain concrete
combination of black and white keys in this tonality) will hardly work
or will even become difficult to play, and some extremely low or high
notes on the keyboard will have to be octave shifted, which means
damage of the composer's intention. And in fact performer must study
work almost from zero because of different tactile relations on the
keyboard.

But this is true also for atonal, dodecaphonic or serial music without
any key or tonal center. Music will sound the same in transposition,
but tactile, mechanical relations between black and white keys will be
changed with all mentioned consequences.

Not every listener has perfect pitch and can enjoy music fully because
he knows exactly which tones and keys sound, and will be tortured and
bored at hard rock guitar group concert where most of songs will be
probably only in Emi, F#mi or Ami, or at string quartet concert of
Classicism music where most of works will sound in G major, D major or
A minor. And will hear small difference when some well known
composition will be performed in transposition. There are many
examples when some work was transposed and it didn't lose anything
from its beauty and power. Numerous examples of pop arrangements of
classical music, or transposed songs, opera or musical arias because
of different voice range of singer, or indisposition... So sometimes
transposition is usable in such situations.

Anyway, good music is indestructible, and will sound well in any key.

Daniel Forro

On 4 Dec, 2012, at 7:13 PM, mark k wrote: