In a message dated 6/3/98 7:53:17 AM Central Daylight Time, rls@ncinter.net writes: << I recall my instructor at the Chatauqua Institution stating that if you tune beatless octaves above the temperament octave you will automatically stretch these octaves. >> Unfortunately this statement is not true. While I am sure that the instructor did well in his time, he (she) perhaps did not have the information and thorough understanding that is commonly knowledge today. Jim's answer to this post says it all. While you may perceive an octave to be beatless, the fact is that there can really be no such thing. There can only be certain coincident partials that match. It is an inevitable fact that if there are any two matching partials, all the rest will not match. Under usual circumstances, the best compromise will be for a single octave above the temperament area to have a slight beat, on the order of 1/2 beat per second. This will allow for double octaves, octave and a 5th (12ths) and triple octaves to sound better although really none might be perfectly matched. The best compromise is actually often a blend that is near but not quite perfect. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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