Coleman vs Coleman Tuneoff

[Jim Coleman, Sr.]

Hi Lisa:

Thanks for getting back to us. 

I apparently did not get my point across that there is no way we can satisfy
the melodic requirements of our hearing and the harmonic requirements, since
there is such a wide divergence.

I was trying to make the point that therefore we should try to stretch a 
little more than we normally would in an attempt to equal temper the octaves
as well as the many intervals within the temperament octave.

I can see that I failed in making that clear to everyone. Now there are
some purists who insist on tuning clean 2:1 octaves. This is a bit
analogous to trying to set a temperament with pure 5ths (Pythagorean tuning)
My main point was to suggest that we temper our octaves a bit in order that
the whole piano fits together better. Isn't this what we do in setting
equal temperament? Octave stretching is just the next logical generation in
my way of thinking. I'm sorry it took so long for me to figure this out.
Many good aural tuners have been doing this for years intuitively as I have
discovered. I believe this is what my friend and protagonist Virgil Smith
has been doing. His tunings sound wonderful. His explanations do not satisfy
my thinking, but the tunings certainly do. He's still working on me.

Jim Coleman, Sr.



On Thu, 11 Mar 1999 Lwellerrpt@AOL.COM wrote:

>   Tom-
>   
>   I don't always get names right.  So sorry.  Now I wonder who that was.  
>   
>   Controvercial things I remember now that my credibility has gone out the 
>  window:
>   
>   1.  Mr. Coleman brought up the topic of changing the tuning exam in a 
>  classroom he knew held many associates who had respect and fear of the exam
> (and little knowledge of the many, many discussions and emotions that preceed 
>  any decision on the exams).  Now the credibility of the test may be 
>  questioned in their minds and  their solid goal of passing the exams may be 
>  not as stable and valid to them as they once thought.
>   
>   2.  An interesting exercise Mr.Coleman used for tuning treble octaves was 
>   to play a note in the tenor and then the high treble (one at a time) and 
>  then have people in the room tell him when to stop tuning the hight note.  Of
>  course the note he was tuning came out really sharp.  He said he kind of 
>  liked it sharper (it sounded more musical)  than most people were tuning that
>  area and sharper than where the ETD's usually are programmed to put it.  The 
>  beginners mouths were open and silent.   I wanted to make the point that 
>  music isn't just octaves but the combinations of many intervals and they all 
>  have to sound at least acceptable.  Time was getting short and I know how 
>  annoying it is when one person keeps asking questions in a room full of 
>  people.
>   
>   I'll probably remember more later but for 1:30 in the morning this is the 
>  best I can do.
>   
>   Redfaced but compelled to answer...
>   Lisa
>