Dear Friends, Recently I have been corresponding with Bill Bremer, and I find that he has some very interesting ideas. He may do business different than others would do, and that is another topic which I am not addressing. Bill Bremer told me about several different temperaments which he has been using, and one of them is a 1/7 comma meantone. I had always thought that a meantone temperament would have some keys that would sound so awful that you couldn't play in those keys. But under Bill's instruction, I tuned my personal piano in the 1/7 comma meantone temperament that he told me about, and I LOVE the way it sounds on my piano. Yes, I can play in every single key on my piano, and Yes, every key does sound different. The plain keys sound very peaceful and relaxing, and the keys that have more sharps and flats become increasingly more "turbulent", and with more "tension" and "color" in the sounds of those keys. I don't really have the words to describe the sounds I hear, but I Love it. Just recently have I heard that there really is a different sound to each key, besides the obvious difference of the pitch. Now that I have listened to the way my piano sounds in the 1/7 comma meantone, I will be more willing to try other temperaments and to entusiastically tell my customers about what they can hear in their piano also if they would like to try it. Granted, tuning in other than Equal Temperament is not for everyone, because it can stir up some emotions in the listeners, and some people are not ready to experience these emotions in music. Also, I have only been playing classical music for the most part. Perhaps other types of music wouldn't sound good with certain temperaments. But you don't know what you are missing until you hear or play some of Beethoven's sonatas like the "Pathetique" and the "Moonlight" in the 1/7 comma meantone temperament. (Thanks Bill!) I think that I can speak for Bill when I say that he is not Middle of the Road. He has strong opinions, which may not be what you or I are familiar with or comfortable with. As long as he is not telling you that you have to do something a certain way, he is not doing anything illegal or unethical on this list. At least give his ideas and philosophy of tuning a chance, so you can think about it and then either accept it or reject it after you have had a chance to make up your mind. What I like most about this list is the numerous opinions on every possible topic related to pianos. We all love pianos, and that is why we are here. We can try to get along with each other and let other people express their opinions. If someone has a different opinion, that just may open your understanding to a new technique, a new way of doing something, or a new philosophy. If you can learn from a new idea, great! If you don't like something, you can always take it with a grain of salt and ignore it. Even if you don't like the way Bill Bremer conducts his business, don't close your eyes to his ideas about different temperaments. Different opinions are what this list is all about. Finally, Bill, would you post instructions to the list about the way you tune in 1/7 comma meantone? I did it once, but can't remember everything I did, so I can't do it again! Peace, David David A. Vanderhoofven, RPT Joplin, Missouri, USA e-mail: dkvander@clandjop.com web page: http://www.clandjop.com/~dkvander/ #pianotech page: http://www.clandjop.com/~dkvander/ircpiano.html
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