I've tuned a well temperament for a composer professor here who is careful now to specify Equal Temperament to me. He knows and is quite sensitive to the difference in intervals. No one else I tune for knows if anything is different. Andrew Anderson On Apr 12, 2010, at 8:33 AM, Ed Sutton wrote: > Laury- > > In my experience, the range of perception varies greatly from person > to person, and depends on repertoire and instrument as well. > The standard answer is that temperament doesn't matter much, but > unisons and octaves matter a lot. This, of course, is the rule of > thumb for concert tuning under time pressure. > Generalizations aren't very revealing, but individual responses can > give us a sense of what we should be prepared to facilitate. > Therefore, why don't you tell us about yourself, and your > perceptions of temperament on piano, organ and harpsichord? > > Ed Sutton > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Laurence Libin > To: caut at ptg.org > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 9:20 AM > Subject: Re: [CAUT] [SPAM] Re: using as ETD, was Re: Too tall!!?? > > It would be interesting to compile and compare saved versions of > pleasing temperaments since this would indicate the range of today's > acceptable variation from true equal temperament. I wonder whether > experienced listeners tolerate wider variation in pianos than in > pipe organs. > Laurence > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Dr. Henry Nicolaides > To: College and University Technicians > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 8:44 AM > Subject: Re: [CAUT] [SPAM] Re: using as ETD, was Re: Too tall!!?? > > OK! I enjoy aural tuning, too. Especially on pianos that lend > themselves to this process and have the resultant outcome. Pleasing > interplay of intervals, as you described. But, due to time > constraints and the previously mentioned stress reduction reasons, I > do not enjoy setting temperaments, stretching octaves, tweaking and > etc on the average home furniture called a piano. Nor do I enjoy > the aural process on practice room verticals and some small grands. > Just as technology has allowed the cardiologist to gain more usable > information with "gadgets" I am sure he/she enjoys listening to the > heart with the traditional and old fashioned stethoscope. Aural > tuning only, is a luxury that I simply can not afford. Yes, I can > do it and enjoy the process. ETD's can get one so close that one a > concert tuning one can "tweak" if need be...then sit back a listen > to the interplay. Five or so years ago I experienced listening and > comparing my aural tuning and then and ETD (Verituner) on an older > Kimball grand that I service two to three times a year. In about > half the time with the ETD I had a tuning that, I have to admit, was > every bit as pleasing (maybe not quite the same character) as my > aural tuning. Now, the tuning is saved and since I tune this piano > fairly frequently I am quite happy to use the ETD and be on my merry > way to the next piano. > BTW, I use digital photography. I got out of the darkroom a long > time ago, although I still enjoy processing my own film and making > prints on real photographic paper. > > Happy tuning! > > Henry Nicolaides > Southern Illinois University > > > To: caut at ptg.org > Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:18:01 -0400 > From: tnrwim at aol.com > Subject: Re: [CAUT] [SPAM] Re: using as ETD, was Re: Too tall!!?? > > > I very much > enjoy setting a temperament, then tweaking it to make it sound the > very > best I can. I like your wording, "interplay of intervals." I like > tuning octaves and unisons and the checks used in octave tuning. I > like > what the piano sounds like when I'm finished. > Susan and Ed > > This is where I think you two might have the wrong impression of > what an ETD can do for you. First of all, as has been cited, for a > pitch raise, these things are invaluable. Using the the machine > leaves the piano almost exactly on pitch, (if you do it right). On a > regular tuning, using an ETD puts 99% of the piano right where it > should be. What is left, is exactly what you like to do. You can > interplay with all the intervals, and I would go out on a limb and > say that it actually allow you to be an even better tuning than you > are now. I use my SAT to tune the whole piano. Then I turn it off, > and tune the whole piano again, aurally. I tweak every interval. > When I get done, I really like the piano when I'm finished, because > I've put my personal touch to it. > > As far as the blinking lights are concerned, well, yes, Susan, I > guess they can be a little bit of a distraction. But, as you said, > to each his/her own. > > Wim > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Elwood Doss <edoss at utm.edu> > To: caut at ptg.org > Sent: Sun, Apr 11, 2010 5:50 pm > Subject: Re: [CAUT] [SPAM] Re: using as ETD, was Re: Too tall!!?? > > Hi Susan, > I'm with you all the way. It amazes me how many technicians who use > the > ETDs try to convince us aural tuners how wonderful they are. I tune > aurally because I want to. Not because I'm afraid of technology, Wim. > Its because I am enthralled with being able to begin with one pitch > and > tune the whole piano just using my ears and my intellect. I very much > enjoy setting a temperament, then tweaking it to make it sound the > very > best I can. I like your wording, "interplay of intervals." I like > tuning octaves and unisons and the checks used in octave tuning. I > like > what the piano sounds like when I'm finished. I don't care whether > it's > a Steinway D used on a concert stage or a Henry F. Miller spinet > that is > to be played by a beginning piano student. I put just as much > effort in > tuning one as the other. I like to listen to the finished product and > realize that, starting from a single pitch source, I tuned that. > Me...just me. No ETD, just me. If I started tuning at A1 and tuned > up > the chromatic scales to C88 using an ETD, then this shear joy would > become work...drudgery...I don't care how fast I could tune it or how > "relaxed" I might be at the end of the day. I'm sure there are plenty > of piano technicians out there just like us, Susan. May our tribe > increase! > > Oh, and Wim, am I afraid of technology? Well, let's see, I use a > Sanderson Accu-Fork to get my A=440 pitch and to check how sharp or > flat > the piano is. Keeps me from having to have 3 hands. Nice technology! > > Joy! > Elwood > > Elwood Doss, Jr., M.Mus.Ed., RPT > Piano Technician/Technical Director > Department of Music > 355 Clement Hall > The University of Tennessee at Martin > Martin, TN 38238 > 731/881-1852 > FAX: 731/881-7415 > HOME: 731/587-5700 > -----Original Message----- > From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of > Susan Kline > Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 11:59 PM > To: caut at ptg.org > Subject: [SPAM] Re: [CAUT] using as ETD, was Re: Too tall!!?? > Importance: Low > > To each his own, Wim. > > It's true I haven't tried using an ETD myself, but I've watched > tuning with one. It didn't look tempting to me. > > And I hate blinky lights and twitching little readouts. I sometimes > even turn off overhead fluorescent lights because they bother me. > > But mainly, I like the direct contact with the piano, and the > interplay > of intervals. I just like the sounds. > > Anyway, enjoy your SAT IV. > > Susan > > > Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from > your inbox. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100412/73f7fb21/attachment.htm>
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