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Welcome to the artissimo.gr pages of News ! |
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English Language : Classical Music : News : Spring 2002 
Sunday 12 May 2002 : Orchestral timbres difficult to distinguish |
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Experiences While you are listening to orchestral music, have you ever wonder what are the timbres that you are finding it difficult to "recognize" ? That is to say, which are those for whom you find it hard to tell the instrument that produces them and the specific way of sound production ? I will refer to my personal experience on this matter after I mention that I don't happen to play any of these "classical" instruments of the orchestra. Talking about the strings, I was always finding it hard to distinguish between the violin and the viola, especially the notes that are a bit higher than the lowest violin notes. On the opposite hand, cellos along with basses are a bit easier to distinguish between. Basses played in the mode of "pizzicato" - especially in lower dynamics - strongly remind me of ... harp sound (!), piccolo along with flute are usually easy to decide between, a little bit more difficult being to decide between oboe and english horn (even if they are not much alike) - sometimes I am getting confused by bassoon's highest notes and oboe's lowest ones (even if they are not too similar), clarinet and clarinet bass may be difficult enough to tell in the medium and lower register, bassoon and contra-bassoon also in the medium-lower register, and, time ago, I could not distinguish at all (alas!) between the lowest notes of the trumpet and the highest notes of the trombone, and, also, between french horns and all other brass instruments (!). Maybe I had also problem to choose between trombones and tubas in lower dynamics. Of course, timbre of the orchestral instruments is not invariable when dynamics of execution change (playing softer, playing louder etc.). So, imagine the difficulty for one to judge what is going on in the case where instruments are being made to produce sounds with the aid of special effects, eg. use of the sordine or production of the harmonics in the strings and the winds, special effects while playing with the fingers or with the bow in the strings and many-many more. Naturally, the adequate (and persistent) ear training can help one to get over all those difficulties finding and distinguishing between all those "difficult" orchestral timbres. I guess amateurs are most likely to be confused by such timbral similarities ; whoever has enough "live" experiences with the real orchestra cannot be justified when getting confused by different orchestral instruments being played ! It is without question that I am waiting for your own opinions on this matter (as well). Be honest, are you able to distinguish between the sound of the clarinet, the oboe and the soprano saxophone ? :-) |
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