Greetings; Dennis Johnson writes; ""Unfortunately since we are just beginning to ask some of these interesting questions concerning the relationship between inharmonicity and unequal temperament as realized on both period and modern instruments, and what all this means to the music, it may be some time before we have meaningful answers."" I agree with Dennis, it will, but I think WE can speed up the process, if we can all manage to talk the same language, or nearly so. I think it is a matter of learning how much dissonance does the modern musical world find to be too much. And then working right near the limit, but not over it. 1) In gauging audience response to different temperaments; the perception of "out-of-tuneness" that the more highly tempered keys will invariably bring forth is, at first, more dramatic than the perception of "in-tuneness" that the less tempered keys similarly create. This difference in perception often changes with additional exposure, leading to increased awareness of how nice a pure interval is. However, if there is too much dissonance, too soon, it is as though some aesthetic damage is done to the listeners sense, and all too often, they retreat to the safety of the familiar, ( equal). So, for those of us interested in creating wider acceptance and demand for the various temperaments, perhaps we should think in terms of how best to "deprogram" the modern ears as we lead them into the world of unequal temperaments. For the uninititated listener, the first introductory chord on a well temperament shouldn't be F#. In the same logic, the first temperament shouldn't be restrictive or extremely harsh. Someone earlier posted, "It is rude and counterproductive". $.02 is well worth my temper............ Then Dennis gets real esoteric! (:)}} " I have noticed that on Borsendorfer pianos I consistantly end up tuning ET. Why? Have others of you done the same thing? For some reason I do not get the same sense of aesthetic disinterest I normally associate with ET when tuning a modern Bosendorfer piano." I would be real interested in how this comes about. I will be seeing the only Imperial in my clientele Thursday, and perhaps will have time to listen to a temp.octave both ways. Regards, to all, Ed Foote
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