good intonation

Quite a while back I posted a question that went something like "so,
what is good intonation anyway?" A lot of folks would seem to think
the answer is pretty easy--be in tune.

Unfortunately, not only does "in tune" means different things to
different peoples, I also believe that rather than making the answer
obvious, music just confuses the issue.

Today I was listening to what most people would consider Larry
Coryell's finest work, Spaces. Besides the all-star cast and the
inspired playing of most the participants, I've always felt this
record had a wonderful X-factor too, and for me that was Miroslav
Vitous' arco.

Now Vitous' intonation has probably incurred more than a few raised
eyebrows in its time, but if you ask me it's great--it's aggressive
and musical if not particularly pitch perfect in the way most
aficionados and aesthetes seem to enjoy.

I've long felt that you should trust your physicality and your
instincts more than you should trust your ear's tastes when it comes
to making actual music. Music is not tuning. The ear is not your
imagination and if your imagination is its unfortunate indentured
servant, surely that's a sad thing. Unless you're good. Real good.

Vitous' intonation is interesting. Granted interesting isn't always
good, but uninteresting is a good I'm surely not particularly fond of
either!

Miroslav's got good intonation--even if he doesn't.

take care,

--Dan Stearns

--- In tuning@y..., "D.Stearns" <STEARNS@C...> wrote:

/tuning/topicId_36592.html#36592

> I've long felt that you should trust your physicality and your
> instincts more than you should trust your ear's tastes when it comes
> to making actual music. Music is not tuning. The ear is not your
> imagination and if your imagination is its unfortunate indentured
> servant, surely that's a sad thing. Unless you're good. Real good.
>
>

***Just so I can get into trouble with everybody here, I have a
question to posit.

Is it not true that Kraig Grady has some pieces where he really
slaves and slaves over the *tuning* and then lets the pieces take off
rather "automatically" after that??

Am I misconstruing Kraig's work here? Kraig, you can speak up, too!

And, if so, and if the tuning is such a significant part, would
somebody actually say that's not *music...*

Just getting myself in trouble here...

No, really... Comments??

J. Pehrson