{"items": [{"author": "Gawain", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693770680872", "anchor": "fb-693770680872", "service": "fb", "text": "Or get one of those trumpets with compensating valves", "timestamp": "1414168226"}, {"author": "Chris", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693781000192", "anchor": "fb-693781000192", "service": "fb", "text": "So, this code lets you tune the length of tube added by each valve, right? But it limits it to a certain range of tube length? What happens if you release the range limiting and let it come up with whatever lengths it wants? What happens if you add a fourth or a fifth valve? Can you get even better tunings?", "timestamp": "1414174897"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693782651882", "anchor": "fb-693782651882", "service": "fb", "text": "@Chris: I didn't limit it to a range of valve lengths, but I did use simple hill climbing for optimization so there could be higher maxima than the ones I found. And yes, four valves would let you do better, and I guess the question is by how much.", "timestamp": "1414176270"}, {"author": "Ben", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693783580022", "anchor": "fb-693783580022", "service": "fb", "text": "Are you suggesting that trumpets should be redesigned so that the open fingering is a concert C#?
The issue with adding additional valves, and other triggers to fix tuning of individual notes, is that you then end up with a woodwind instrument.", "timestamp": "1414177072"}, {"author": "Chris", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693784558062", "anchor": "fb-693784558062", "service": "fb", "text": "Isn't the difference in how different notes are created? Woodwinds add or remove holes along the length of the sound channel. Brass instruments add or remove bits from the length of the sound channel. This seems like a pretty fundamental difference.", "timestamp": "1414177715"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693786559052", "anchor": "fb-693786559052", "service": "fb", "text": "@Ben: If you made the open fingering on the trumpet a C# then the ideal key would be E major.", "timestamp": "1414178950"}, {"author": "Mark", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693786569032", "anchor": "fb-693786569032", "service": "fb", "text": "Just learn to use your third slide. Use slide grease on it and then a drop of valve oil to help it move more easily.
I've recently discovered that there are a few notes that are normally quite sharp but easily corrected with a bit of first slide action, notably concert Ab above the staff. Unfortunately, the most exposed example of this in the upcoming concert is a stretch with a lot of mute changes and I don't have the dexterity to be able to grab the thumb holder on that slide while playing one-handed, holding the mute in the other.", "timestamp": "1414178954"}, {"author": "Ben", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693787038092", "anchor": "fb-693787038092", "service": "fb", "text": "Interesting. I wonder if this is why Sousa said the key of Db is the best for a band. It helped all the brass instruments be in tune.", "timestamp": "1414179177"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693790760632", "anchor": "fb-693790760632", "service": "fb", "text": "@Ben: Where did Sousa say that?", "timestamp": "1414181644"}, {"author": "Ben", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/693765945362?comment_id=693792991162", "anchor": "fb-693792991162", "service": "fb", "text": "I don't know how true that is, but I had a band director that said it once.", "timestamp": "1414183215"}, {"author": "Jan-Willem", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100580955183019057735", "anchor": "gp-1414417689476", "service": "gp", "text": "Or you could play French Horn, where third valve is only used with middle valve (*) and therefore can be properly tuned. \u00a0Of course you need much stronger embouchure... \u00a0Never quite mastered that. \u00a0Most modern horns have a thumb valve that basically switches you to a second instrument pitched a bit higher so you don't kill your lips.\n
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\n(* In the range where french horn literature is actually written, starting around middle C concert pitch and going about an octave and a half higher. \u00a0There are some pedal tones that might need more valves, but only open notes get used down there in anything I ever played.)", "timestamp": 1414417689}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1414419296669", "service": "gp", "text": "@Jan-Willem\n\u00a0\"French Horn, where third valve is only used with middle valve\"\n
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\nMiddle valve is used sometimes on its own and sometimes in combination with third valve? \u00a0If so, I don't see how this fixes the tuning problem. \u00a0A middle valve that drops you a half step when played on its own isn't going to drop you an entire half step when played with any other valve.\n
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\n(And my embouchure isn't really good enough for trumpet, let alone french horn...)", "timestamp": 1414419296}, {"author": "Jan-Willem", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100580955183019057735", "anchor": "gp-1414434980441", "service": "gp", "text": "But you just tune the third valve to compensate for any shortcoming in the middle valve.", "timestamp": 1414434980}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1414438810237", "service": "gp", "text": "@Jan-Willem\n\u00a0Are you saying the third valve isn't ever played in any fingering except third-and-middle? \u00a0That's weird (might as well just lengthen that valve and forget about combining it with the middle one) but is ok.\n
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\nYou still have a problem if you combine the first and middle valves.", "timestamp": 1414438810}, {"author": "Jan-Willem", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/100580955183019057735", "anchor": "gp-1414441708766", "service": "gp", "text": "@Jeff Kaufman\n: True, first-and-middle, just first, and just middle are all used. \u00a0But I assume that's because then first-and-middle is closer to correct pitch than if we used third alone.", "timestamp": 1414441708}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1414444416248", "service": "gp", "text": "@Jan-Willem\n\u00a0Yes, that's not going to be that far off.", "timestamp": 1414444416}]}