Darcy, you have a point, but from an orchestral players standpoint, they
see much of what is written in the name of scordatura as merely
unnecessary: In _Pines_ why should cellists detune when there is a bass
section that can divide (the passage in question is very soft); in
__heldenleben__ the 2nds play into the viola range, something the violas
can do much better; in the original example that started this thread a
novice orchestrator did not know she had exceeded the low range of the
violin by several notes, etc. These players do not want to risk a
problem, even a temporary one, to their instrument for what they see as
a musical situation that can be solved in an easier and better fashion
than by one that causes its own problems..
A soloist, who gets the gig based on a unique work and gets paid much
more dough, is in quite a different situation. Even the concertmaster
playing "Dance Macabre" is, similarly. (And, yes, the former soloist
MAY be playing her less than best fiddle! But she might not - she
definitely has time to set it up for the next performance.)
I'm done talking out of my area, since we now have string players
weighing in. I work with them and have parented a couple, but never got
_really_ comfortable out of first position, myself.
RBH
Darcy James Argue wrote:
Also:
If anything, the issues you bring up ought to be of even more concern
for a soloist, since they can't substitute an inferior instrument and
must detune their main instrument. Any lasting tuning problems this
might cause would be even more exposed and serious for a soloist, so
if they were a legitimate concern, you would expect soloists to be
more reluctant than section players to play a piece that called for
alternate tuning.
I am inclined to believe that there is an awful lot of hoo-hah and
superstition around this issue, and that the resistance of orchestral
string players to use alternate tunings (even for an orchestral
warhorse like _The Firebird_, fercrissakes) comes from the same place
as the general resistance of orchestral musicians to do ANYTHING that
falls outside of their usual comfort zone.
Cheers,
- Darcy
-----
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Brooklyn, NY
On 23 Feb 2008, at 12:07 PM, Ray Horton wrote:
Solos are different.
Is this done with the fine tuners or the pegs, do you know? Do the
strings stay detuned for the remainder of the piece? Just curious.
Thanks,
RBH
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