Coleman 11

JIMRPT@AOL.COM JIMRPT@AOL.COM
Sat, 15 Apr 2000 23:01:03 EDT


In a message dated 4/15/2000 9:13:01 PM, Bob A. wrote:

<<"I took White's book to be my piano technician's Bible. I think quite a
few others did, too. I guess I feel that I was misled.">>

Bob;
 Please allow me to start with an excerpt from one of my replies to Ed Foote, 
i.e.;
" Aren't 'most' of the writings slanted to a certain 
viewpoint?...............snip.................
 If all of the writers can't be "right" then how do we judge who not to 
follow?....... perhaps more importantly who to follow?" 

  Braid White was 'one' of the authors I had in mind when I made this comment 
and even then 'most' that he has to say isn't wrong................indeed 
there is  still quite a bit of disagreement  on what 'exactly' the "Well 
Tempered Clavier" was written in/for.  White was a passionate writer on those 
subjects that he cared deeply about, and like most of us his passion overode 
his objectivity at times. (maybe he was infected by Hemholtz :)

 The same same question I asked of Ed is one you need to find the answer to, 
i.e.;
<<"......how do we judge who not to follow?....... perhaps more importantly 
who to follow?" >>   
  Well Ed has already answered this in another context but the answer is 
still valid here.  (paraphrased) *learn  to tune the temperaments, try the 
ones you are interested in and then make up your mind about each of them by 
yourself*.............

  My only addition here is to be careful as to what you accept as 'gospel' 
from either camp or individual temperament(s) promoter be they ET or 
Historical or Alternative. Each of these has many valid viewpoints but none 
have the 'only' valid view.

 Don't feel "misled" by White he was sincere, passionate and wrong 
occasionaly but you are much the richer for having read his book.
Jim Bryant (FL)


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