Piano tuning studies

[Gordon Wilson]

On Fri, 7 Jul 1995, Dennis Johnson wrote:

> At  5:34 PM 7/6/95 -0600, Gilreath@aol.com wrote:
> .........  While some pieces sound much more
> >harmonious in a certain non-equal tuning, and proper writing makes use of the
> >inherent dissonances, other pieces ,or simply playing in a different key,
> >sound absolutely terrible.  Everything is a trade off, or as they say you
> >don't get something for nothing.  The historical tnuings have a very definite
> >place when used in the right context and application.  However, while I use
> >these temperaments for historical concerts, I'm not quite ready to give up on
> >equal temperament as a failed experiment.
> >
> __________
>
>
>         Let me say that I am compelled to qualify the .... "absolutely
> terrible" in this statement. Presuming you refer to unrestrictive
> temperament, then by defination, nothing is restrictive. Of course in
> restrictive temperament we do get some diminished fourths, and in meantone,
> an diminished sixth, but that is its objective. The secret of unequal,
> unrestrivtive temperament that makes it so magically unrestrictive (and
> which so many seem to have missed) is the proportionally beating triads and
> chords. With so much complicated harmonic activity going on at the same
> time, it should be evident that some very interesting and musical solutions
> can be tailored to that individual instruments' inharmonicity. This is what
> makes tuning fun for me. I am not out to bash equal because it has its
> place, of course, but the problem with equal IMO is that its interval beat
> speeds bear no relationship to other interval beat speeds within a given
> triad. If you listen closely to an accurate, strong well-temperament for
> some time, I believe you would agree that the least appealing (or certainly
> least expressive) keys are the normal ones like A maj., that are actually
> closest to equal. My argument is that while it is certainly  appropriate,
> necessary and even desirable to have at our musical disposal less
> expressive or normal moods, 2 or 3 keys is enough of that particular color.
>         In the end however, this is not even really an issue for debate
> because it is simply a personal aesthetic judgement. I encourage each
> professional tuner to be less afraid of shocking your pianists and to make
> serious, honest aesthetic judgements about your temperament.  I have never
> had a real problem from musicians concerning my temperaments and I have
> regularly tuned the performance, practice and teaching pianos here
> unequally for about 5 years. Most of the faculty don't even know, some of
> them, and most of the students, love it.
>
>         There, I said it, and I'll stand back now. Enough opinions for one day.
> Have a good weekend,
>
>
> Dennis Johnson
> St. Olaf College
>
>
>
>
Golly gee-willikers!! 'n'all the time I jest bin tunin' 'em so's they
sounds good!