Re: Pitch, XB-40 & whatever - was: XB40 retuning

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tim wrote:
>
>I think, though, that some pitch variation is acceptable not just
>because we can't perceive it, but because it is acceptable
>stylistically. 

I couldn't agree more.

Several people have argued that there really is no such thing as "blue
notes". Rather than notes with precise fixed values, "blue notes" have
been described by some authorities as melodic tendencies that cover a
certain range, rather than a fixed point. They might not be played
exactly the same way twice, because the mood of the person playing
them is different each time. In that respect, pitch variation is not
merely acceptable, it is a defining feature of certain genres
(including, but not limited to blues).

Despite my own fondness for Just Intonation, I can't think of anything
more boring to play each and every note with the same fixed value,
however "perfectly tuned" those values might be. Expressiveness for me
involves deliberately moving towards and away from those points of
maximum consonance to introduce tension and relaxation.

 -- Pat.