I think that what you are considering is that the E should be the P4 up
from the B. You will be closer to a P4 with the 12 fingering as that
note is the sixth harmonic for a D horn series of the 12 valve
combination. The open E is a fifth harmonic in an F series and is
normally about 14 cents flat from ET. The starting B with 2 should be
close to correct concert pitch if your horn is in tune; and pretty well
tuned with itself. Try it with the Bb horn and you may find another
pattern of pitch intervals that is even less satisfactory; but the
substitution of T2 for the open E will change the milieu for the five
note scale.
You're going to have to bend some pitches playing in the key of B.
CORdially, Paul Mansur
On Saturday, June 24, 2006, at 02:46 PM, Steve Freides wrote:
I have a fingering decision question for you - I suspect most of you
will
tell me the choice below doesn't matter, but if you think it does, I'd
like
your opinion.
(I've been practicing the tenor aria "Every Valley" from Handel's
"Messiah"
- just for fun, and entirely on the F side of the horn, not a big deal
as it
only goes up to written fourth line D#. It's a piece I've sung many,
many
times, and it's good practice for me as I get used to fingerings in
sharp
keys. I'm doing it at concert pitch and without music in front of me,
but
if it was written, it would be written in the key of B major for the
horn as
it's in concert E. My question, however, is general in nature - no
need to
know this piece of music in particular.)
Consider the first five notes of a written B major scale. I use the
beginner's fingerings I was taught, the fingerings are:
B - 2
C# - 12
D# - 2
E - 0
F# - 2
but if you did this with an E crook in the horn, you'd play it as 0,
1, 0,
1, 0, which means if you think of transposing the C-major fingerings
down a
half step, effectively making holding down 2 as your crook, you should
play:
B - 2
C# - 12
D# - 2
E - 12
F# - 2
I find the E-0 sounds flat, and I like the E-12 better. I'm not sure
if I
like E-12 because it's more "in tune" or simply because it sounds more
like
the same relationship of pitches as one hears in written F, but I do
like
the E-12 better, and I find that if I play it E-0, I need to lip it up
to
what sounds right.
Just curious to know, if you can divorce yourself for a moment from
the "I'm
used to it so that's just the way I do it," if any of you find my
approach
especially right- or wrong-minded and why, and thanks for your
opinions in
advance. Part of the reason I'm asking is because I've been assigned
the
first Mozart horn concerto by my teacher, and there are similar issues
with
the written pitch E (concert A) for me - I often find, in the key of
concert
D, I like this note better as 12 than as 0.
-S-
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