Control of Pitch in Wind Instruments
John Bellamy Taylor · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1932
A statement often heard or read as coming from some prominent musician is to the effect that of all the orchestral instruments only the violins (including the larger members of violin family) and the slide trombones can play in perfect intonation. The absence of frets on the finger-board permit performer to nicely determine vibrating length of string and sliding tubes of trombone give similar opportunity for precise determination of air column length. Coupled with the claimed pitch superiority of violins and trombones there is also an implication that a better “ear” is required for acceptable playing of these instruments than is needed for playing other orchestral instruments, viz., flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets. While the wind instruments do have a limited tuning range, it is misleading to speak of them as of “fixed pitch,” and erroneous to assume that uncovering the proper vents, or depressing the proper pistons assures a tone of definite pitch. This is because the air column of instrument is, through mouthpiece or reed, sufficiently coupled to lips and oral cavity of player to give him an appreciable control of the air column time of vibration. This allows sounding the tone either definitely “out of tune” or, within reasonable limits, raised or lowered in pitch to come in close accord with the tones from other instruments. To exercise this pitch control musically and artistically the wind instrument player is as dependent on a good “ear” as is the performer on the strings.