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Re: Pedals:'Where it matters

On Thu, 21 Oct 1999, Dafydd y Garreg Wen wrote:

> There's some confusion about what these words actually mean here, I think.
> Lawrence, by "a relatively low pedal F", do you mean the F three leger
> lines below the treble clef or the one below that? Similarly John, by
> double octave do you mean the octave from pedal C downwards, or the one
> below that? When I say pedal, I mean the octave from pedal C downwards;
> notes from C# up to F above pedal C are just "low" (e.g. Low F, reserving
> pedal F for the octave below. Another octave is a double pedal, etc..).
> This seems to be a sensible convention.

Not only is it the only sensible convention it is the only one which is
techniocally correct - pedal notes being the fundamental pitch (first
harmonic) of a length of tube.

It *really* annoys me when bass players and band conductors refer to
the notes between low F and pedal C as pedals.  Apart from anything
else, it is confusing and can easily lead to misunderstandings.

> Ordinary pedal notes are fingered as for the octave above. Double pedals
> aren't actually proper notes on the instrument - the air inside forms only
> half a wave, or something like that (they don't sound very nice). You can
> bend these a fair amount, but can be struck easiest if you finger as for
> some interval (near an octave) higher. This interval depends on your
> individual instrument; for example, on my Bass Trombone, I can play these
> with the slide as for an octave higher, but others find that it's a major
> seventh, or something else close.

In terms of playing bass (tuba), "double pedals" are virtually
impossible - the highest pitched double pedal on an Eb tuba being the
equivilent of a true pedal F on a Bb tuba but requires much more air!

On tubas there is also the strange phenomenon of "false pedals".  For
example, it is possible to play low F (three ledger lines) on Open, E
on 2nd valve etc. (finguring seems to work best for a major 9th above
therequired pitch) - but sound quality is porr and actually getting the
notes is reliant on have your embouchure very precisely set (plus using
lots of air!).

Neither "double pedals" or "false pedals" actually physically exists
within your instrument.  Effectively what you do is to excite enough of
the upper harmonics which are common to both the length of tubing you
are using and the note which you are trying to get for you to fool your
ears into hearing a note whose pitch is not native to the length of
tubing you are using!

Pete (who can play down to a true pedal E on a Bb Bass on a good day!)
--
Pete Denton - accessing the net with SuSE Linux since 13/07/99


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