How Music Works: A listener's guide to harmony, keys, broken chords, perfect pitch and the secrets of a good tune by Powell John
Author:Powell, John [Powell, John]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781846143151
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2010-08-25T23:00:00+00:00
The development of the equal temperament system
IN TUNE OR OUT OF TUNE?
We know that people were playing harps as long ago as 2500 BC because we have pictures of them doing so on decorated vases from that period. It is more than likely that the practice of music goes back thousands of years before this.
When people moved on from singing to the production of musical instruments like the flute (made of wood or bamboo), they would have come across the problem of where to put the finger holes. The position of the holes determines the pitch of the notes the instrument produces, and it is very easy to produce a flute which has several notes which are not in tune with each other. I’m not talking about ‘out of tune to modern ears’ here, I’m talking about ‘someone throw a rock at that idiot and chuck his flute on the fire’ out of tune – the sort of ‘out of tune’ everyone would agree on.
This sort of ‘out of tune’ describes the situation where some of the notes on a single instrument don’t agree with each other. If you took a penny whistle and drilled another finger hole at some random position you would soon hear that your new note was not in tune with the others.
On holiday in Spain recently, I came across one of those street markets which sells earrings to young women, painted plates to middle-aged couples, and chickens made of bent coat-hanger wire to all those people who think that life is a hollow sham unless you own a chicken made of wire. Narrowly escaping a vendor of basketwork teaspoons, I found myself in front of a stall selling bamboo penny whistles. When I noticed that someone had simply drilled a row of equally spaced holes along them, I knew that every whistle would be out of tune with itself – you cannot produce a musical instrument that way. Raising one of them to my lips, I played the most unrelated, mournful collection of notes it has ever been my displeasure to hear. Even the local dogs eyed me with thinly disguised contempt. So, of course, I had to buy it – and I present it here for your delectation.
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Appreciation | Blank Sheet Music |
Composition | Conducting |
Exercises | Instruction & Study |
Lyrics | MIDI, Mixers, etc |
Philosophy & Social Aspects | Songwriting |
Techniques | Theory |
Vocal |
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