Re: [Harp-L] Harpie on vibrato and tremolo (2. attempt)

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Reeders,
                        time for me to chime in again. Much as I like words, we have let the obsession with these two divert the discussion from its real purpose. So let's drop 'em for the time being. In fact, confusion about the literal meanings is what led to the prodigious exchange.
                        It was the question of the effect created by the vibration, oscillation, pulstaion (or something; I still don't know for sure) of the diaphragm. 
                        The heart of the matter is, can the diaphragm alone produce a rhythmic oscillation of pitch (yeah I know...I don't like it either, but words, or more likely my hung-over brain fail me) or simply make the volume go up and down? (that's better)
                       I think we all appreciate that the hand-cup produces only the latter effect, with the added characteristic of raising and lowering the treble. So does going 'boi-oi-oi-oing' with your tongue.
                       When I can take a geezer at the Youtube clip (who was it again?) of the demonstratio of 'diaphragm vibrato' I'll get back to you all.
                       Till then'll repeat, I can find no way to produce the throat/choke vibrato with the diaphragm alone. If I cause my diaphragm to pulstae, it only causes an oscillation of volume.

Over 'n'out
RD
                        
>>> <Snaruhn@xxxxxxx> 16/03/2007 6:40:08 >>>
Orrps,

Harpie, this dam guy, sent the first post away while his was just thinking 
what he wanted to say about the subject.

Well, though Harpie is almost an illiterate person he found out  that
in a Hohner catalogue the "Echo harp" was described as a 
"Tremolo-octave tuned" harp. 

Hmmh, this would mean that a tremolo is a pitch changing and is
just the contrary what Rick Dempster said:

< A true 'vibrato' (rhythmic variations in pitch) ........ >

while I always thought that a vibrato is a variation in volume.

But gradually I got the  conviction that the understanding of
"vibrato"and "tremolo" is a further example of the Babylonian
confusion of tongues. Both terms originates from Italian and 
both terms means something like "to tremble" (German: beben). 

In other words: whether "vibrato" or "tremolo" mean a variation
of pitch and volume or reversely depends on the weather forecast. 
    

In fact, when Harpie looked at Wikipedia or musical dictionaries
he found explanations for both definitions, so what?

In this connection Harpie remembered the strange understanding
of "to turn a harp upside down" (one of his linguistic favorites).
He needed some time to understand that in the States it doesn´t
mean that the upper side of a harp = the mpc is now down but that 
the slide knob of a chromatic is now at the left side.

Harpfried


  




   

   
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