[CAUT] The Origins of P12ths tuning.

[Becker, Lawrence (beckerlr)]

Fred et al.-

I checked my VeriTuner 100 today, and it shows the capability of constructing a tuning starting with 3:1 12ths.  And since it does whole-tone matching, it might well get a clean-sounding 12th--I know it does a good job with octaves.  I'll find a piano to try this on, and let you know what comes out of it.

Lawrence Becker, RPT
Piano Technician
College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred Sturm
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 6:42 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] The Origins of P12ths tuning.

On Oct 21, 2008, at 4:32 PM, Richard Brekne wrote:

>  I think, stumbled onto another interesting coincident. The 6:3:1.
> Immediately upon looking at that ratio one sees implied a 6:3 octave
> that matches both a perfect 19th and a perfect 12th.

        Yes, absolutely.
        When I tuned aurally, I would use the m3 (down), M6, M10, M17 to
check the 6:3 octave and the 3:1 12th and 6:1 19th above. (To add 8:1
(and 8:4) to that mix requires the m6 down as well, but I could rarely
hear it distinctly enough to find it all that useful). Essentially you
are zeroing in on the upper note, making the corresponding partials of
those lower notes coincide up there to the extent possible (making
what compromises seem necessary in the individual circumstance). With
ETD, it is that much simpler: set the ETD to the top note and play the
notes an octave, 12th, double octave, and 19th (and triple octave)
below and see what the display says. You have to start with a fairly
wide stretch in the initial temperament to have this be successful. I
suspect a 3:1 would fit the bill quite well (I never looked at it in
those terms).
        My notion is that this style of tuning would amplify and enhance the
upper notes, at the same time as it creates a cohesive sound. I always
wanted to test it to see if it actually worked in a scientifically
measurable way (under controlled conditions), but the logistics are
too hard to come by (the right measuring equipment and the means to
duplicate the blow perfectly, plus a way of timing the damper pedal
precisely to the keystroke, in various alignments of time - and
keeping the setup perfectly in place while re-tuning to test again
with a different approach). This remains my basic "inner picture" that
I base my personal tuning philosophy on. I like the results, but I
make no claims.

Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu