old and new temperaments

[Ed Sutton]

Hey, Ron K.
    Oops, I just read your post and see I've duplicated a lot of it.
    ....great minds run in the same ruts, eh?
        Ed S.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Koval" <drwoodwind@hotmail.com>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 5:26 PM
Subject: old and new temperaments


> Jeff wrote:
> Who are we to have the freedom to "pick a tuning" for what a composer was
> intending?  If we can't know what tuning the composer used, then where's
the
> educational value?  It becomes merely a novelty.  If we just pick the one
we
> like, that is no different than imposing ET on all of it, no?
> Jeff
>
> Well, no.....because, any of the alternatives from the many choices have
the
> circle of fifths structure, but ET is built with a chromatic structure.
We
> may not know what exactly was tuned, (if there was indeed any exactitude
> going on at all) but it's a pretty sure bet that it wasn't ET as we know
it.
>
> This brings up another topic, the idea that ET is only ET if it is EXACTLY
> equal.  It is because of the chromatic nature of the structure.  But, this
> same rule doesn't apply to well temperaments.... there is more room for
> error, because the variations between the thirds in the progression are
> larger.  With a one or two cent error, the graph will still present as a
> bell-shape type curve, where once the straight line graph of ET gets any
> bumps, it ceases to be ET.
>
> hmmmmmmm....
>
> Ron Koval
>
>
>
>
>
>
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