A question on temperament-Dale

[Ron Nossaman]

>A piano returning to the Yamaha C&A pool in 1/4 Comma Meantone was also and 
>understandably a shock.  The first thought in the mind of that technician was 
>that deceit was the intention when it was not, in any way.
>Bill Bremmer RPT


Hi Bill,
I have to admit that this sort of thing mystifies me no end. When I'm
called to tune a piano, I'm concerned whether it's close enough to pitch
that I can tune it in one pass, or not. I honestly couldn't care less what
temperament the last tech used as long as he left the instrument in good
enough shape for me to do my job. I never bother to check the last tuner's
temperament, because I'm not there to evaluate the work of my predecessor,
nor to conjure up visions of deceitful, nefarious, evil, or otherwise
socially or morally questionable intent. Perhaps my lack of curiosity could
be considered a character deficiency, but I'm there to tune the piano. If I
have been called to do so, someone must feel that the piano needs to be
tuned, so that's what I do. My responsibility is for my own work, so that's
where I put my energies. The responsibility of the previous tuning was on
the previous tuner, and I'm more than happy to leave it there. If he/she
was a hero, fine. If he/she was flayed and lynched, that's fine too as long
as someone isn't still nursing a grudge by the time I get there.

As to possible character deficiencies, do all of the rest of the folks out
there in the tuning trenches habitually evaluate the temperament of the
previous tuner before they start their own work? Am I the only one who
really doesn't care? Personally, I do find it irritating that so many of
the people I follow leave the low bass too sharp, the killer octave flat,
and the high treble way too sharp. But that's a stability issue, rather
than one of preference.


Ron N