I am currently involved in copying out a good score of an orchestral work
that I wrote over 20 years ago. One passage involves a bassoon solo in
the key of A-flat major (yes, some things still happen). Part of the
accompaniment includes string bass harmonics. In order to stick with the
traditional tuning of the string bass I wrote several natural harmonics
at G# on the E string. My questions to string players (and bassists
in particular) are 1) would it be permissible to re-notate these G#'s
enharmonically as A-flats, thus in effect treating the E string like an
F-flat string, and 2) how much havoc would it wreak on intonation if the
basses did play G# harmonics against A-flats in a bassoon, piano,
contrabass clarinet, and several harps?
Aaron J. Rabushka
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