I was at a song circle the other night with two out-of-tune guitars and a recorder. Usually, I can ask a guitarist to play the first chord of the song, and I can start the song on key. But the two guitars were no help - I just couldn't "hear" the melody in my head when I heard that discordant chord.

But I couldn't find my place with the recorder, either; and I've noticed that I have that problem with most wind instruments - organ, too. The recorded player's guess was that maybe the harmonics of the recorder did not match the harmonics of my voice. That sounds credible.

Has anybody else experienced this? Any theory why it happens?

It was a tough song circle. Seemed I was fighting to keep the group in tune much of the time.

-Joe-