Jazz tuning style? ET, of course

[david severance]

At 01:42 PM 4/2/99 EST, you wrote:
>In a message dated 4/2/99 9:27:26 AM Central Standard Time, 
>bases-loaded@juno.com writes:
>
><< Anybody have any thoughts on what exactly he may be referring to?  >>
>
>Well, if you go with what *most* people seem to think, it would just *have* 
>to be ET, wouldn't it?  So you can "jump in" to B, F# or Db at anytime and 
>not have any reason to do so other than to just be able to "jump in" and not 
>have anyone be aware of it.  It's what they call "complete freedom of 
>modulation".  The slightest shade of "color" would disturb him greatly.
>
>I'll bet that guy didn't want some old *MEAN* tone tuning like some of those 
>kooky ol' classical guys want.  He wanted it the right way, the modern way, 
>the way that goes without saying, ET and ET only, no ifs, ands or butts.
>
>Bill Bremmer RPT
>Madison, Wisconsin



As a amateur jazz pianist, personally, I'm much more concerned with the
color I impart with chord voicings than I am with the "key color" of any
particular tuning scheme. Because of my belief that jazz is the continued
evolution of tonal music classical composers largely abandoned for atonal
music at the turn of the century, what a classical artist might require (in
a tuning) may be entirely different than what a "jazzer" might require.
With the sophisticated harmony of jazz, all kinds of colors are available
within a key signature. I'm not saying HTs don't fill a niche but for me I'm
not sure I want a flat 9 sharp 11 to sound different in E flat than G.  If I
did I would voice the chord differently, an option that might be argued
pre-twentieth century composers didn't have to the extent modern jazz
artists have.
        So a what constitues a good tuning for me in order of importance are
solid unisons, clean octaves and at the risk of being flamed off my piano
stool a well executed ET.

David Severance
Dept of Music and Theater Arts
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164