"Bloom"

[Susan Kline]

I consider the question of stretch to be an argument between
harmonic and melodic intonation.

Tuning narrow may slow the thirds, but when listening to
the melodies, especially in the high register, many people
will consider them flat.

Jim Coleman, Sr. did a very good demonstration of this in
his tuning class. He played a note in the middle register,
and then, without playing anything in between, he played
the same note high in the treble and had the class "tune"
it by ear. It consistently comes out extremely sharp,
because this demonstration has the class relying on melodic
intonation.

If you listen to violin recordings, including those of people
like Heifetz, you'll hear them consistently sharping the orchestras,
and grossly sharping in the upper register.

Like a temperament, which involves a dynamic struggle between
the desire for consonant intervals and the Pythagorean comma,
a good tuning requires an active balancing act between the two
types of intonation. The tension between them in a way adds
life to the process of tuning.

JMHO, etc.

Susan Kline