This disseitatioh has been microfilmed exactly as received 69-21,990 SISSON, Jack Ulness, 1922- PITCH PREFERENCE DETERMINATION, A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TUNING PRE­ FERENCES OF MUSICIANS FROM THE MAJOR PERFORMING AREAS WITH REFER­ ENCE TO JUST INTONATION, PYTHAGOREAN TUNING, AND EQUAL TEMPERAMENT. The University of Oklahoma, D;Mus.Ed., 1969 Music University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE PITCH PREFERENCE DETERMINATION, A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TUNING PREFERENCES OF MUSICIANS FROM THE MAJOR PERFORMING AREAS WITH REFERENCE TO JUST INTONATION,'PYTHAGOREAN TUNING, AND EQUAL TEMPERAMENT A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION BY JACK ULNESS SISSON Norman, Oklahoma 1969 PITCH PREFERENCE DETERMINATION, A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TUNING PREFERENCES OF MUSICIANS FROM THE MAJOR PERFORMING AREAS WITH REFERENCE TO JUST INTONATION, PYTHAGOREAN TUNING, AND EQUAL TEMPERAMENT APPROVED BY DISSERTATION COMMITTEE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express appreciation to the many student musicians at the University of Oklahoma and Central State College and to other musicians, both teachers and per­ forming professionals who gave of their time so that this study could be made.— Thanks should also go to my colleagues at Central State College, Mr. Robert Dillon and Mr. Melvin Lee, for their interest and helpful suggestions in regard to the de­ velopment of this study. Thanks should also go to the members of my committee. Dr. Robert C. Smith, who served as chairman. Dr. Gene Draught, Dr. Gail deStwolinski, and Dr. Margaret Haynes for their helpful suggestions in regard to preparing the final copy. I am especially appreciative of the help and encour­ agement given to me by Dr. Smith. He gave liberally of his time in preparing the study and later in interpreting and reporting the data. Special thanks are due my wife, Dorothy, for her assistance in typing and proofreading the manuscript. Without her valuable assistance it is doubtful that this study would have been completed. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......... Iii LIST OF T A B L E S .................................... vii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION .............................. 7 II. SYSTEMS OF TUNING.......................... 7 Pythagorean Tuning ...................... 7 Just Intonation.................... 16 Equal Temperament. .............. 22 The Raging Argument............ 29 III, RELATED STUDIES. ...................... 35 Early Studies............................ 35 The Iowa Studies........................ 39 The Nickerson Ensemble Experiments .... 4-3 The Richardson Study .................... ^5 The Johnson Study........................ ^6 IV. DEVELOPING THE STUDY ...................... ^9 Problems to be Considered................ ^9 Selecting the Intervals ................ 53 Producing the Examples ............ 56 Method of Presenting the Intervals .... 58 Arranging the Examples .................. 60 Developing the Questionnaire ............ 62 The Method of Selecting Pitch Preferences. 65 Administering the T e s t .................. 66 Potential Areas of Investigation ........ 69 V. FINDINGS.................................. 72 Perfect Fifths Played Melodically........ 72 Perfect Fifths Played Harmonically .... 73 Perfect Fifths Played Harmonically with Vibrato................................ 73 iv Chapter Page Major Thirds Played Melodically ......... 7^ Major Thirds Played Harmonically. ..... 75 Major Thirds Played Harmonically with Change of Timbre . 76 Minor Thirds Played Melodically ......... 77 Minor Thirds Played Harmonically. ..... 78 Major Triads Played Melodically ......... 79 Major Triads Played Harmonically......... 80 Major Triads Played Harmonically with Vibrato ..... ...................... 8l Minor Triads Played Melodically ...... 82 Minor Triads Played Harmonically. ..... 83 Minor Triads Played Harmonically with Vibrato................ 84- Dominant Seventh Chords Played Melodically ............... 85 Dominant Seventh Chords Played Harmonically. .............. 86 Major Seventh Chords Played Melodically . 87 Major Seventh Chords Played Harmonically, . 88 Cadence Chords Played Harmonically. .... 89 The Major Scale Ascending and Descending. 90 Results According to Major Areas. ..... 92 Preference Selections for Band Directors. 93 Preference Selections for Vocal Directors . 95 Preference Selections for Voice Majors. .. 97 Preference Selections for Pianists. .... 100 Preference Selections for String Instrumentalists. ..... 103 Preference Selections for Wind and Percussion Majors ....... ........ 105 Instrumentalists Within the Major Areas of Winds and Percussion................ IO7 Preference Selections for Woodwinds, Group I .................... 109 Preference Selections for Clarinets, Group II.................. 109 Preference Selections for Brasses, Group I . .......... 110 Preference Selections for French Horns, Group II . 110 Preference Selections for Trombones, Group III .......... Ill Preference Selections for Percussion. Ill VI. CONCLUSIONS . 113 Regarding Tuning Systems. ......... 113 Regarding Performance Areas .............. 116 Regarding Vibrato ........................ 117 Regarding Change of Timbre................ 117 Chapter Page Regarding Related Studies . ........... Il8 Weaknesses of the Study 119 Suggestions for Further Study . ......... 120 Concluding Remarks........................ 123 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................... 125 APPENDIX. ............... 131 A. PITCH PREFERENCE DETERMINATION SHEETS . 131 B. MUSICAL EXAMPLES.................. 135 C. RESPONSES ACCORDING TO MAJOR AREAS. I^fl D. RESPONSES OF WIND INSTRUMENTALISTS BY GROUPS .................. 162 VI LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Selected Preferences for Perfect Fifths Played Melodically.................. 72 2. Selected Preferences for Perfect Fifths Played Harmonically........................... 73 3. Selected Preferences for Perfect Fifths Played Harmonically with Vibrato ............. 73 Selected Preferences for Major Thirds Played Melodically .......................... 7^ 5. Selected Preferences for Major Thirds Played Harmonically.......................... 75 6. Selected Preferences for Major Thirds Played Harmonically with Change of Timbre. 76 7. Selected Preferences for Minor Thirds Played Melodically .......................... 78 8. Selected Preferences for Minor Thirds Played Harmonically.......................... 78 9. Selected Preferences for Major Triads Played Melodically.......... 79 10. Selected Preferences for Major Triads Played Harmonically...............................80 11. Selected Preferences for Major Triads Played Harmonically with Vibrato ............ 82 12. Selected Preferences for Minor Triads Played Melodically .......................... 83 13. Selected Preferences for Minor Triads Played Harmonically.......................... 83 Vll Table Page 1^. Selected Preferences for Minor Triads Played Harmonically with Vibrato ...... 84- 15* Selected Preferences for Dominant Seventh Chords Played Melodically.................... 85 16. Selected Preferences for Dominant Seventh Chords Played Harmonically .................. 8? 17. Selected Preferences for Major Seventh Chords Played Melodically.................... 88 18. Selected Preferences for Major Seventh Chords Played Harmonically .................. 89 19. Selected Preferences for Cadence Chords Played Harmonically................ 90 20. Selected Preferences for the Major Scale Ascending and Descending .................... 91 21. Preference Selections for Band Directors .... 93 22. Harmonic Preference Selections for Band Directors............ 93 2 3 . Melodic Preference Selections for Band Directors. .......................... 94- 24-. Preference Selections for Vocal Directors. 95 2 5. Harmonic Preference Selections for Vocal Directors. ........................ 95 2 6. Melodic Preference Selections for Vocal Directors. .................... 96 2 7. Preferences of Vocal Directors for the Harmonic Dominant Seventh Chord.............. 96 2 8. Preferences of Vocal Directors for the Harmonic Major Seventh Chord . ............ 96 2 9. Preference Selections for Voice Majors ......... 98 3 0 . Harmonic,Preference Selections,for Voice M a j o r s .................... '................. 98 3 1 . Melodic Preference Selections for Voice M a j o r s ....................................... 99 viii Table Page 32. Preference Selections of Voice Majors for the Dominant Seventh Chord Played Melodically. 99 33. Preference Selections of Voice Majors for the Dominant Seventh Chord Played Harmonically . 100 3^. Preference Selections for Pianists .... 101 35. Harmonic Preference Selections for Pianists • • • 101 36. Melodic Preference Selections for Pianists • • • 101 37. Preference Selections of Pianists for the Major Scale Ascending and Descending . 102 38. Preference Selections of Pianists for the Major Seventh Chord Played Melodically . • • • 102 39. Preference Selections for String Instrumentalists ...................... 103 ^■0. Harmonic Preferences for String Instrumentalists ...................... 104 Melodic Preferences for String Instrumentalists . ..................... 104 h2. Preference Selections of String Instru­ mentalists for the Major Scale Ascending and Descending ........................ 105 43. Preference Selections for Wind and Percussion Majors...................... 105 44. Harmonic Preferences for Wind and Percussion Majors...................... 106 45. Melodic