Re: [Harp-L] Ghost Notes and Equal Temperament



Readers who consider music to be a form of mathematical truth look away now...

What sounds 'good' in music is not always what sounds completely in tune. Playing everything precisely in tune (by whatever temperament) and using only precisely the 'right' scales or modes can sound dull or bland. I think I use what you are calling 'ghost notes' myself, but I hear them more as tone colour than as independent notes.

On 27 Jan 2009, at 06:27, John F. Potts wrote:

JR,

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Clearly, i have been operating under some flawed assumptions. I'm self taught, but i've been playing for quite a while. Over the years, I have had the good fortune to regularly play with a number of really good musicians, some of whom have extensive formal education that did not stop at the wrist (as they say). From these guys i picked up some basic working knowledge of theory, so i understand what you are telling me.

Anyway, a little over a year ago i began playing ET harps (Suzuki Hammonds). i quickly came to the conclusion that I sound better on ET. More significantly, the musicians i play with thought i sounded better, too (although they all may not have known about the instrument change).. Except for the split interval thing, i am basically a single note player and i regularly use multiple positions. Not only do i think i play better on ET, I definitely can hear pitches better. I sound so much more in tune with the rest of the band when i play now than i did before i began to play ET harps.

Whether or not they are supposed to sound good played on an ET harp, the split intervals work extremely well for me and blend well with other instruments on a wider variety of material than the chords on the instrument do. The musicians i play with like it, and no one ever complains that i sound dissonant or off key (complaints about my occasional less than optimum note selection don't count). And the ghost notes actually do generate an objectively BIGGER, FULLER, sound. Especially when amplified. I'm not making this up.

Now, in light of what you have just explained to me, I've become a little little perplexed about WHY the ET harps work so well for me and WHY the split intervals i regularly play sound good on my ET harps. But, I'm not going to obsess over it, and since it ain't broke, I'm not going to try to fix it. But i do really appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions.

Best regards,

	JP
	


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