Playing on the low side

[tbdana]

There's a thing I do. No one ever told me to do it/no one ever told me not to do it. It's just something I hear and do, and I kind of like it. But I don't want to get into a really bad habit if it's frowned upon, incorrect, or just bad.

It's this:

When I'm playing a romantic ballad, or a bluesy sounding tune, I will play some of the notes on the low side of the pitch. Not every note, but the big ones usually. And not so much where you'd go, "Oooooh, that's out of tune!," but enough to give it a little more...I dunno..."mood," perhaps.

To my ear, that adds a little darkness and depth to the flavor. But I wonder whether that's verböten, or whether I've just accidentally stumbled onto a "thing."

Any wisdom out there from you academics, theorists, or jazz experts?

I'm not educated. I just play what I hear.

[harrisonreed]

Wait are you saying you play flat on purpose, or you play in tune but long on the slide (because the tuning slide is pushed in all the way)?

[robcat2075]

I recall a string bass soloist saying he felt that playing low made his sound more sensuous.

"...But other people say I'm out of tune."

.

[harrisonreed]

Dana you sound like you're 100% in tune on your recordings. I misread the thread title, sorry. I thought it said "long on the slide". Whups!

[Doug Elliott]

There's a small range of pitch that doesn't sound "out of tune" but gives qualities to the sound. I do the same thing.

[CalgaryTbone]

I have sometimes played a note just a little bit low and then used slide vibrato to "resolve" it near the end of the note in jazz ballads. You can't do too much of it, and it has to be subtle, but to my ears, a lot of great commercial singers do this. I would be careful to not overuse this, and choose the moments carefully, but I think it can be effective in the right setting.

Jim Scott

[hyperbolica]

I've played with multiple people who used to say "I'd rather be sharp than out of tune". I'm probably not sophisticated enough to aim anywhere but as close to the center as I can get. But if you use any vibrato at all, it wipes out all the careful intonation you can strive for. If you and Doug say it's a thing, I can't contradict that, but its beyond my ears and other skills.

[robcat2075]

I've played with multiple people who used to say "I'd rather be sharp than out of tune".

"If you're not sharp, you're flat"


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[TheConnArtist70H]

Hi Dana - I did not realise that I was doing the exact same thing, until I started recording myself and listening to myself. I play quite a few notes on slow ballads on the flat side, and I don't know why, maybe it's just my natural feeling / mood when listening to the backing tracks. As you probably know I play a few Sinatra charts, he sung flat on some charts, I suppose it may give a little say "sadness" color to the sound if this makes any sense. I've attached two of my home recordings in which I play flat without noticing, even with the odd sharp note hear or there.

Moonlight in Vermont and Send in the Clowds - Two quite sad Tunes ???





Just my contribution......Al

[Wilktone]

Maybe I'm nuts (well, not "maybe"), but I've always felt that being a hair sharp gives the tone a slightly brighter color and makes the sound cut a bit more. Playing a hair flat darkens it up. I'm talking about maybe a few cents sharp or flat, not a lot. I swear I've heard other musicians talk about this before, but now that I think about it I can't remember who I've heard this idea from.

[Bach5G]

A local conductor quipped ‘better to be sharp than out of tune’.

[tbdana]

Oh, man. To me, sharp is incredibly annoying, while flat isn't as offensive. Not sure why that is.

And I hate how certain musicians that play certain instruments seem to go higher in pitch the higher the register is. Nails on a chalk board!