Hi Bill, You are misquoting me--I never wrote the passage below. I may in point of fact agree with it--but I decline authorship. At 09:46 AM 6/9/98 EDT, you wrote: >In a message dated 6/8/98 11:26:23 PM Central Daylight Time, drose@dlcwest.com >writes: > ><< >> > - The ear hears each note individually so is able to adjust to the > small inharmonicity differences from note to note, but is not nearly as > accurate at consistently setting octaves to the same stretch amount from > note to note. Variations of a few 10ths of a cent are normal. > >> > > >> > So, if the aural tuner were perfectly accurate (a big if) the tuning > would measure a little uneven and would look bumpy if your charted it. The > electronic tuning charts perfectly smoothly, but doesn't take into account > the minute variations in inharmonicity from string to string. >> > >Here I am again, back from Louisiana and will have some tuning insights to >tell later but I saw what was going on here and had to comment in the little >time I had this morning. > >It seems that I will always be the odd man out in these discussions but in my >opinion, "smooth" octaves are no more a desired goal or trait of a really good >tuning than a "smooth" temperament is. > >In Louisiana, I worked with an accordian maker on tuning his instruments. I >was able to convince him that he was not necessarily bound into the >restrictions that everyoner else in his profession felt bound, just because >they were conventional. I pointed out to him the difference between what is >satisfying musically (which is what really counts) and what is satisfying to a >"TOONER" (you folks started it,I didn't), which does NOT matter at all. > >While most of the gerneral public and even the professional pianists may >accept this ultimate compromise that is now the general concensus, it still >does not mean it is the best nor that everyone will like it the best. My >temperaments and octaves are "rough" compared to most of the rest on the List >and my octaves are quite often stretched to the hilt but are always >justifiable and not nearly stretched as much as some truly irrational >stretching that I have heard. > >I tune for a musically satisfying sound, not for what might be considered an >ideal compromise. To me, the RPT Exam Master Tuning sounds as bland as >Velveeta cheese tastes and really would ruin most any music played with it. > >Bill Bremmer RPT >Madison, Wisconsin > > Regards, Don
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