K.C. class

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 12/28/98 7:27:38 AM Central Standard Time, A440A@AOL.COM
writes:

<<  I have been asked to present a class on  historical tuning at the
 convention in K.C. this summer.  I would like to make this as practical and
 applicable a class as possible, so I invite comments from the online tech
 community inre what would be of most value or interest.    >>

I would suggest that you take on the "Festival of Temperaments" approach that
Skip Becker used in Providence.  This would be a way that you might be able to
use most, if not all the ideas that come forth.  

There seems to be some demand for the very basics and the history of tuning
theory that shows how tuning progressed from the ancient pure interval tunings
through the meantones, the modified meantones, the well-tempered from Bach
through the Victorian age, the quasi-equals, regular ET and onto the super
stretched out versions of it.  This being only a "history" class.  There might
well be room for the "simulator" in this kind of presentation.

Then there will be a demand for the practical applications.  I think most of
the interest will be, and should rightly be, in how to really  tune a modern
grand piano in some of  these temperament varieties to the highest
contemporary standards.  There will be both an interest in using a set of
"deviations" or "Historical Temperament Correction Figures" (HTCF) to apply to
an FAC or RCT program, how to do a strictly aural job and also how to do an
SAT or RCT Assisted Aural Program  (AAP), complete with proper octave
stretching and compensation for the Coupled Motion of Strings Effect (CMSE).
The big question of how to make the decision which temperament to choose will
require some time to answer.

There will also be a demand to hear these tunings and compare them one with
the other with real music played by real pianists.  ET should be present as
well as the ET with pure 5ths version.  This, so that people may compare them
back and forth.  You might really have quite a number of pianos if you include
just the most used and/or popular temperament varieties that there are today.
If there is another Rebuilder's Showcase, this might be one place where this
would really work well.  You will just have to get the rebuilders over the
expected perception that their piano will somehow sound "inferior" if it isn't
tuned in ET.  Indeed, the rightly chosen temperament might well enhance the
individual character of each piano.

There have been some full-day seminars recently and this could well be one.
Not everyone interested in the HT's would want to attend the entire day.  You
could spend the entire day talking about and demonstrating  standard tuning
techniques; you can certainly make it an entire day on HT's.

You would need the commitment of multiple pianos from various sources and the
commitment of several interested tuners who regularly do these kinds of
tunings.  You could also have a kind of competition among the temperaments,
including ET and ET with pure 5ths.  You could even go into the evening with
it by presenting a recital at 8 p.m. of the winning temperament on a 9 foot
concert grand supplied by whichever manufacturer offers to be represented.

If ET or ET w pure 5th should win, it would confirm that this is the kind of
tuning that the majority of piano technicians feel make all music and the
piano sound best.  If another one should prevail, it will demonstrate that we
have clearly not come anywhere near the end of the road on development of
tuning for the modern piano.

Sincerely,

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin