Random (silly?) Questions' Corner

[Papy Oli]

Right. I have a few bits and bobs that are bugging me and they do not necessarily relate to already-existing specific threads so I thought I'd collate them here. Forgive me if they appear stupid  0:) Thank you in advance for your educational and enlightening responses. Feel free to add your questions if you have any.

Oli'

Q1 - During Friday's concert at Snape, the first violin/solist stood up for the tuning prior to the start of the performance. I have never paid attention to this before, but as the clarinet or a flute played the tuning note, only the brass instruments and the flutes/oboes/etc section played along...and then all the strings sections afterwards. Do the brass/flutes/oboes/etc actually have some tuning to do on their instruments, like they would on the strings instruments ? or is it just a question of playing the pitch note all together ?

Q2 - Talking of the first violin, besides being hand-shaking buddy with the conductor and being the first member to walk off after him, are they a particular figure of authority within the orchestra ? or a representative of the same ? or is it just a matter of etiquette ?

Q3 - In Shostakovitch's 5th symphony, there is a particular section in the 4th movement where the double bass played repeatedly the same note over and over. Before that section, all of them appeared to tweak something at the head of their double bass and then again at the end of it. During the performance, I wondered whether they were tweaking a sort of switch that would play on the tuning (like a Capo would on a guitar for instance?). Checking it up on wikipedia, the head of the bass only seems to have the machine heads for the tuning of the strings ? Would they be changing the tuning like that midway through the movement ?

[springrite]

1: The tuning is just for the strings. The winds proved provide the note to tune by;

2: Yes, they are something more than a figure head.

3: Are they putting on the mute?

[Opus106]

Q2: He or she is important enough that the position has a special name.

[madaboutmahler]

Q3 - In Shostakovitch's 5th symphony, there is a particular section in the 4th movement where the double bass played repeatedly the same note over and over. Before that section, all of them appeared to tweak something at the head of their double bass and then again at the end of it. During the performance, I wondered whether they were tweaking a sort of switch that would play on the tuning (like a Capo would on a guitar for instance?). Checking it up on wikipedia, the head of the bass only seems to have the machine heads for the tuning of the strings ? Would they be changing the tuning like that midway through the movement ?

3: Are they putting on the mute?

I believe the double-bassist would be putting on the 'extension', which lowers the bottom string so that the instrument can achieve even lower notes! So yes, it changes the pitch of the lowest string. Once the passage which required the extension has finished, the player can then take the extension off and the pitch of the lowest string will be back to normal. (an E).

About the concertmaster, apart from having various solos in particular pieces, it is also his job to lead the entire first violins, which I suppose is thought of as the most important section of the orchestra, in terms of position and number.

[Papy Oli]

Thank you for the replies 

[listener]

neat co-incidence, an article on the concertmaster of the LA Symphony here:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-martin-chalifour-20120722,0,4916357.story

[PaulR]

I believe the double-bassist would be putting on the 'extension', which lowers the bottom string so that the instrument can achieve even lower notes! So yes, it changes the pitch of the lowest string. Once the passage which required the extension has finished, the player can then take the extension off and the pitch of the lowest string will be back to normal. (an E).

About the concertmaster, apart from having various solos in particular pieces, it is also his job to lead the entire first violins, which I suppose is thought of as the most important section of the orchestra, in terms of position and number.

That is correct, if I understand it the question correctly. (Spoken as a bassist with an extension)

(Side note:  For some reason, I had the picture of a double bassist installing it and un-installing it mid performance.)

[Szykneij]

1: The tuning is just for the strings. The winds proved provide the note to tune by;

No, both the strings and winds need to tune, but, due to the mechanics of the instruments, the string tuning is more critical. The oboe traditionally provides the tuning note for the rest of the orchestra.

[North Star]

No, both the strings and winds need to tune, but, due to the mechanics of the instruments, the string tuning is more critical. The oboe traditionally provides the tuning note for the rest of the orchestra.

But how often are the winds tuned? Beside temperature and humidity variations, does something else affect the tuning?

[Szykneij]

But how often are the winds tuned? Beside temperature and humidity variations, does something else affect the tuning?

Brass instruments have tuning slides. The pitch of the flute is changed by moving the head joint in or out. Adjusting the barrel as well as the middle section of the clarinet adjusts the pitch of that instrument. The variation in pitch and the frequency of required adjustments is much less than what's necessary for the string instruments, but it still needs to be done. That's why the wind tune-up is basically a short spot-check while the string section generally lasts a bit longer.

[North Star]

Thanks, Szykneij.

[mahler10th]

No, both the strings and winds need to tune, but, due to the mechanics of the instruments, the string tuning is more critical. The oboe traditionally provides the tuning note for the rest of the orchestra.

Before the conductor comes on stage, there is the enjoyable wail of A's etc, when tuning takes place, maybe even to lure the conductor out!  Is it the case that the Oboe always starts this carry on?

[Opus106]

...maybe even to lure the conductor out!

Truly, you have one of the funniest imaginations on the board, John.

[North Star]

Truly, you have one of the funniest imaginations on the board, John.

+1 !   

[Karl Henning]

...  Is it the case that the Oboe always starts this carry on?

That's traditional (and there are acoustic reasons). But before the start of a piano concerto, say, the concertmaster (i.e., the first violinist) will strike the A at the piano for the touchstone pitch (probably a mixed metaphor, but I've not had a proper cuppa yet).

[Karl Henning]

Q1 - During Friday's concert at Snape, the first violin/solist stood up for the tuning prior to the start of the performance. I have never paid attention to this before, but as the clarinet or a flute played the tuning note, only the brass instruments and the flutes/oboes/etc section played along...and then all the strings sections afterwards. Do the brass/flutes/oboes/etc actually have some tuning to do on their instruments, like they would on the strings instruments?

The winds do indeed have tuning to attend to on their own account; practically all the wind instruments can adjust their tuning by lengthening or shortening the air column by moving a joint or a valve.  Also, the pitch of a wind instrument will change from when the player picks it up "cold," to a condition where the instrument is warmed up.  Then, too, as ingenious as the technology is with the finger-holes and keys (for the woodwinds) and valves (for the brasswinds), generally a player may need to make slight adjustments (usually by the embouchure, sometimes with a modified fingering) for this or that note.

[Beale]

Q2 - Talking of the first violin, besides being hand-shaking buddy with the conductor and being the first member to walk off after him, are they a particular figure of authority within the orchestra ? or a representative of the same ? or is it just a matter of etiquette ?

I think the concertmaster may has some responsibilities for the orchestra's preparation and rehearsals.

During a violin concerto if the soloist's violin string breaks, then the concertmaster would offer up his/her violin to the soloist to continue the performance uninterrupted.

[Papy Oli]

Thank you both for the complementary info.