-----Original Message----- From: Larry Jellison What gives? I start from the assumption that everyone is reporting in on what they hear in comparing the horns "before" and "after". I have a theory that human beings hear sound differently from each other. And specifically, some people hear the detail in a complex sound pattern and others don't.
What other reason(s) could explain such divergence in opinion on such a "clear cut" issue? Larry, As a performer, I have played on many horns, both cut and uncut. I have also cut the bells on several of my horns. As a hornsmith, I have cut bells for many clients. Most of my clients are professional performers and while their opinions on cutting bells varies, most can tell a minor difference after a bell is cut. The difference is generally not a question of worse or better, but just one of difference. I don't believe that the difference is necessarily one of how the horn sounds, but of how it responds to the player. While I also don't believe that the result is necessarily negative in cutting a bell, much depends on how well the bell is cut, how carefully the rings are fitted and installed, and most importantly, how the bell is reinstalled by the person who cuts it. In the past year, I have redone at least six bells that were cut by reputable techs. or makers who failed to fit the rings correctly /or reinstalled the bell with tension in it that led to a degradation of the horn's performance. The reinstallation of the bell without tension is an essential criteria in cutting a bell. The fact that you are adding four ounces of metal to the bell generally results in a slightly different feel to the response, and a difference in the residual resonance that the player hears. With all that being said, I believe that your above statement about the difference degrees of what people hear is absolutely right on. And, here is another explanation for the divergence in opinion: Albert Einstein once remarked to the brilliant physicist, Werner Heisenberg, "It is the theory which decides what we can observe." The context in which he made this statement was that our conceptual categories influence what we are observing, even when we honestly believe we are being impartial, neutral, or "objective." Cognitive psychology has produced a large body of research that demonstrates that our raw perceptions are unknowingly modified, filtered, and altered by our beliefs and preconceptions. Paul Navarro Lyric Opera of Chicago (ret.) Navarro Custom Horns _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
