Re: Various stuff

[Eddie Edwards <eddie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pete wrote:

>When I was learning the Zeppelin catalogue on bass, I noticed I had to retune
>sharp for TSRTS. I thought it was an anomaly until I noticed I had to do the
>same thing for LTTE and other boots.

It is meaningless to bring boots into this discussion.  Most of them
play at the wrong speed.  Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, often drifting
all over the place throughout the course of a show.  I'm not suggesting
that LTTE suffers from severe problems in this area, but that doesn't
mean it's perfect.  The SIRA Master version, for example, does play
fractionally fast.

So let's stick to TSRTS.

>I was surprised (and
>annoyed---interrupted my groove) but there you have it.  I think it was almost
>a half step.

Sorry, but I just can't accept this.  There is perhaps the *tiniest*
hint of sharpness on TSRTS, but it is nowhere near a half step.  You can
play along in normal tuning without sounding off.  If you tuned up a
half step, you would be way off.

(When you mention TSRTS, I am assuming you mean the CD.  One
possibility, though unlikely - are you talking about a PAL video version
of TSRTS?  This certainly *does* play too fast, about a semitone sharp.
But the NTSC version is ok.)

>Maybe they sped the tape up a bit to make Jimmy sound like he's
>playing faster, maybe hide some mistakes?  I like the former answer better.

I agree that the sharpness is more likely due to imperfect tape speed
than the tuning of the instruments, but the *miniscule* speed
alteration, almost unnoticeable even when you're listening for it and
playing along, could not possibly have any effects such as these.

>Incidentally, retuning keys is the easiest thing, just turn a knob and presto!

John Paul Jones, grand piano loony, might disagree with you.  But the
easiness or otherwise of retuning instruments is not really the point.
Zep tuned their instruments to normal concert pitch, give or take the
inevitable minor changes due to temperature etc.

- -- 
Eddie Edwards

The Garden Tapes - a study of The Song Remains The Same
http://www.olkil.demon.co.uk/lzgarden/contents.htm
- --