Stretching Octaves

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

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In a message dated 6/3/01 12:34:24 PM Central Daylight Time, hsrosen@gate.net 
(Howard S. Rosen) writes:


> Lately I have been really stretching my
> octaves to the limit in order to have the melodic aspect of the treble (5th
> and 6th octave) sound good against the lower areas. That means beating
> double octaves in order to achieve really good triple octaves. I think that
> this would be a 'no-no' to many techs and I even question this concept
> myself. Yet yesterday, after one of these really big stretch tunings, I had
> the rare privilege of standing back and listening to the customer play music
> and I must say that I thought it sounded nice. Perhaps a different selection
> might show the beating double octaves.

You have discovered what most people nowadays think makes the piano sound 
best under most circumstances.  Just as with the temperament issue, it might 
be said that one way cannot be considered "better" than the other.  If you 
choose to make really "clean" or "pure" sounding octaves throughout the 
piano, your upper registers will sound flat and lower, sharp.  The harmony 
played in the center will be less strained but the melodic aspect of the 
upper octaves will be dulled.

In my view, technicians often have the tendency to dwell too much on the 
purity of octaves and the equalization of the temperament because, as they 
lean over the piano, banging on it, it sounds best that way, under *that* 
circumstance.  Test those 3rds, test those octaves, make everything as smooth 
and quiet as possible and the piano will sound its best.  Yes, it may under 
certain circumstances but under most typical conditions when actual music is 
played, that kind of refinement actually detracts from the pianos overall 
potential.

Consider the fact that most musical contexts are far different from the 
playing and testing of isolated intervals.  Many, if not most imperfections 
in purity of octaves and smoothness of temperament are hidden in actual 
musical renderings.  So, it makes sense to emphasize that which may be better 
perceived while standing back and really listening to music rather than that 
which may only be heard in careful, close listening to isolated notes and 
intervals.

I seem often to surprise other technicians with ideas I have made part of 
what I do decades ago. I attended a class with Virgil Smith teaching the goal 
of pure triple octaves a good 20 years ago but was doing it before I even saw 
him demonstrate and advocate it.  I was happy to see that a master of the 
craft was teaching that which I had decided on my own was best. Nearly 
anytime I talk about it or demonstrate it myself, however, there usually 
turns up the *one guy* who gets bent out of shape about it.

So, the same goes for what I do with temperament.  I long ago found that a 
truly *equal* temperament was less satisfying and musical than one which was 
made purposefully but only slightly unequal in an alignment with the cycle of 
5ths.  When I combine this with what I have called "tempered octaves", I get 
unparalleled balance between close harmony in the middle and soaring 
melodiousness in the upper octaves.

I thoroughly enjoy listening to my customers play, attending a performance 
where I have tuned and especially singing with a piano I have tuned in my own 
special way.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin

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