Smith-Coleman/QUESTION

[Doug Hershberger]

Dr. Jim, list,
   I was just rereading the Jan.97 Journal which talked about your tune off
and I am very glad you did it. It has provided alot of food for thought
about tuning. Like Joe stated below Virgil's ideas are very enlightening for
me. I think his ideas about listening to the whole tone rather than singling
out partials is very interesting. I believe he is on to something about this
and would like to hear other opinions about it. I wish he were on the list.
   In the Jan 97 Journal article Jim refuted Virgil's statement that
listening to partials was a result of electronic tuning. Jim Coleman
correctly said that William Braid White talked about it in 1907 or whenever
the first edition of his book was written.
   I worked with a guy recently that attended the Yamaha Academy in Japan.
Although I could not understand him 100% because of his accent I believe
they teach tuning in a way similar to Virgil. Can anyone enlighten me on
this? Of course they are proponents of aural tuning like Virgil.
Doug Hershberger,RPT

P.S. I wonder how many that propose historical temperaments tune them
aurally. It would seem to me that to be really correct about it you would
have to do it like they did.
----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Coleman, Sr. <pianotoo@imap2.asu.edu>
To: Joe & Penny Goss <imatunr@primenet.com>
Cc: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 1999 6:40 AM
Subject: Re: Smith-Coleman/QUESTION


> Hi Joe:
>
> You asked below if the pure 5th tuning and Virgils method of tuning a
> single string sharp first and then seeing it lower as the unisons are
> tuned in. My answer is NO. Whe Virgil gets thru, he has tempered 5ths.
> When I get through I have pure 5ths.
>
> The effect of unisons changing as the 2nd and 3rd strings are pulled in
> a a phenonemon which applies more to the 5th and 6th octaves than in the
> temperament octave according to measurements which I have taken. Even in
> that range, on some notes the change is almost negligible.
>
> Jim Coleman, Sr.
>
>
> On Sat, 7 Aug 1999, Joe & Penny Goss wrote:
>
> > List,
> > Since returning from the KC convention I have been applying the method
that
> > Vergil Smith
> > presented in his tuning class on Sunday morning.
> > This was the only class that time allowed me to attend but it was/is a
> > turning point in my tunings.
> > The one thing that stands out the most from the class was the idea of
> > tuning the first note of a unison (three strings ) slightly sharp. Then
> > when the second string is tuned the pitch of both strings will be
flatter.
> > Tuning the third string to either string ( they are sharp when played
solo)
> > will result in the tri-unison being on pitch.
> > The pianos that I have used this method on have turned out great.
> > My question comes from wondering as I am tuning. The fifth seems to be
pure
> > when the first note is tuned ready to do the unison with the octave
> > slightly wide. Is this what Dr Coleman is using to establish his pure
fifth
> > tunings. Are the two related?
> > Joe Goss
> >