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How a pipe speaks

Started by David Pinnegar, April 04, 2011, 10:38:18 PM

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Barry Williams

I am interested in Colin's suggestion that brass instrument tone is not altered by the bends.  It certainly seems to be the case with the trombone and trumpet, but for the horn (and writing as a horn player,) the tone of a natural horn seems to me, at least,  much lighter and open than, say, a E flat rotary.  (Though the shape of the mouthpiece has far more effect than valves or bends in the tube.)

I heard a Lewis organ a few days ago with a Trompette on the Swell.  It was remarkably vulgar and raw.  It seemed to cry out for some mitreing to 'round' the tone so as to match the other sounds on the organ, which are quite pleasing.

By the way, Colin, please keep posting.  Your erudition is most stimulating.

"What does matter for pipes in close proximity in organs, though, is if their mouths are too close.  Then they can pull each other into phase-lock and you then lose the desirable chorus effect of multiple separately tuned pipes.  It can make them difficult to tune also." 

That is why we chose to have our pipes speaking on their original tip boards using the original rack boards.  (The magnets are all grooved away to avoid 'plop'.)  Many pipes organ builders fail to realise how important this can be when using second-hand pipes.

Barry Williams

David Pinnegar

Quote from: Barry Williams on May 25, 2011, 02:59:36 AM
I am interested in Colin's suggestion that brass instrument tone is not altered by the bends.  It certainly seems to be the case with the trombone and trumpet, but for the horn (and writing as a horn player,) the tone of a natural horn seems to me, at least,  much lighter and open than, say, a E flat rotary.

Hi!

I'm not sure about this. There is certainly a difference between a straight ceremonial trumpet and a standard instrument and, when initially I went onto a Paxman Studenti I loved the muffled rounded F side with more bends in the tubing than the brash Bb side or the old single instrument in F.

I always thought that low notes using the third valve, the piping of which has sharper bends, were less well defined:


Best wishes

David P