Last octave/stretching, etc.

[David M. Porritt]

Ed:

I wanted to compare with what I usually do.  My normal "D" tuning leaves C8 at 45 cents.  That puts C8 as a 19th from F5.  To me that's certainly in the "normal" range.  Most of the time (non concert tuning) I prefer C8 as a double octave of C6, but that depends on the customer.

dave

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 12/15/00 at 5:35 AM A440A@AOL.COM wrote:

>Greetings, 
>I wrote:
><< I punched up the octave stretch so that the last note was 20
>cents sharper than a straight FAC tuning.  NOBODY noticed!!!!!
>
>Dave asks: 
>>>Where did C8 end up?  
>
>It ended up 55 cents sharp, as opposed to the 35 cents I normally see on the 
>SAT. 
>
>And was also asked: 
>>>You mean to tell me that you tuned the whole octave sharp?  Gradually, I
>assume. And nobody noticed?
>
>Yes,  that is right. 
>
>>>    They must have not said anything because they held you in such high
>esteem, but secretly, they're probably whispering " I think he's starting to
>lose it" after you left.>>
>
>No,  when a tech charges enough, nobody whispers.  This was in a performance 
>environment, (Vanderbilt stage).  I had been asked to make the top end 
>"brilliant" for a certain faculty recital, so I stretched it up in the last 
>octave.  I left it there for the next three days, through continual use by a 
>wide variety of pianists.  
>    The top octave being stretched so far is not the same as the pure fifths 
>tuning.  I only had two customers that like that sound,(jazzers, both).  I 
>only increased the stretch in the last 12 notes. 
>
>   I will also be really clear here about those frequencies. I am almost 50, 
>have had a loud life, (hunting, racing engines, rock and roll bands, 26 years 
>of tuning, etc).  My hearing above is 3,300 Hz is down far enough so that 
>while I can hear the top notes, (and pass the Guild tuning test),  I no 
>longer trust my ears up there for performance level work. There is often just 
>too much money involved to take chances, so the SAT has been a real nice 
>insurance policy.  
>Regards, 
>Ed Foote RPT




David M. Porritt
dporritt@swbell.net
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX 75275