---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment In a message dated 12/11/01 8:04:01 AM Central Standard Time,=20 remoody@midstatesd.net (Richard Moody) writes: > The other problem with the argument for HT's is that most people listening > to a piano in an HT don't even know they are hearing an HT. So how can > they hear a "different shading for each key" or even the "character of th= e > keys" ? And if the HT's do bring out a "different shading" for each key > can you tell us anything specific about that shading for each key and whic= h > HT does this? > But first things first. If HT's have such effect on piano music, can > you pick out a recording of the Beethoven sonatas that is in HT from those > in ET? If so we can go from there. Sooner or later it might be > . The problem with ET is that pianists have learned *not to listen* to what=20 they are playing. It seems to me that many people assume that every piano=20 tuning that is done is either a perfect ET or an unusable HT. R. Moody=20 presented a modern composer with 1/4 Meantone and seemed a little surprised=20 that it was rejected. What else would be expected from a choice of HT at th= e=20 complete opposite end of the spectrum from ET? In Bob Hohf's editorial this month, he implies that only ET is the acceptabl= e=20 way to tune a piano because with *any* HT, the piano will be "unplayable", t= o=20 use the very word he used. What about all of the pianos that are tuned in=20 *Reverse Well* without either the tuner nor the customer being aware of it?=20= =20 Do we expect people and scientists to be writing about that? It seems to me= =20 that I am the only person who has ever dared to but that doesn't mean it=20 isn't happening. I can assure you all that it is very pervasive. And no, I= =20 don't want to do any scientific study or documentation of it. I have alread= y=20 done too much as it is. How often do any of you readers suppose that pianists are using a piano that= =20 is in something less than an ideally tuned piano in a perfect ET? This woul= d=20 normally be a good case for the *scientific method* that was proposed. Is i= t=20 99% of the time? Is it even 50% of the time? Whatever the answer may be, i= t=20 means that pianisits, other musicians and listeners are exposed to a very=20 wide, uncontrolled variety of erratic "color" if we accept the premise that=20 color itself is merely the rate of beating in intervals. It is well known that in the past, "color" was not dissected as it is today=20 in the rate of beating of the Rapidly Beating Intervals but in the *whole=20 sound* (=E0 la Virgil Smith) of triads and other chords. This means that th= e=20 perception of color was more subconscious than anything else. There is=20 plenty of documentation of descriptions of tone color in the books written=20 about HT's. I like the idea of the blind test that R. Moody proposes but it will probabl= y=20 not come to pass for the simple reason that it pits one PTG Member against=20 another. The majority of PTG Members still adhere to the idea that ET is th= e=20 one and only way to tune a piano and this will probably continue. Any kind=20 of *contest* will inevitably have some kind of mild HT resulting as the=20 "winner". It happens every time. All this would do is create internal=20 strife, so PTG as an organization is not at all interested and for good=20 reason. I submit that the perceptions that people have about the different ways=20 pianos are tuned be left to the choices people make *artistically* rather=20 than pure science. That is what I do. My EBVT is designed to remain within= =20 the bounds of what the *contemporary ear* (taste in musical perception) will= =20 accept based upon my own sense of musicianship and the feedback from the=20 people I tune for. I consider this to be my prerogative as a professional=20 and as such, I will not accept orders from any other technician as to how I=20 should or should not tune a piano. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin <A HREF=3D"http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=3Dw w w . b i l l b r= e m m e r . c o m =3D-</A>=20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/46/88/a2/14/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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