tuning <> TUNING

[Ron Nossaman]

Man, I'm so glad I got into rebuilding between tunings. The logic is so
much more compatible with my wiring.

Possibly adding to the many weirdnesses inherent in the forest of
conflicting concerns, I have a question. 

Since a piano, particularly a S&S D, can't be tuned at a 2 cycle (or much
less in some cases) pitch change without charging at least a day's work for
it, how about going from ET to one of the more extreme temperaments? Or
from a non-equal temperament to ET, just in case of revelation resistance.
I realize the overall tension changes aren't comparable, but the
destabilization of individual strings by changing their pitch (some up,
some down) by somewhere between nothing and 16 cents (or whatever) will be
every bit as real as with a wholesale pitch change. As several people have
indicated, going down is tougher than going up. You can't lower the back
scale tensions by pounding on the speaking length like you can raising
them, and tuning from ET to anything else is going to take some of both. 

Of course, you can't try to talk someone into trying an alternate
temperament and punishing them with a monetary penalty for agreeing to try
it , though maybe you can if they decide they don't like it after all and
want to go back to ET <G>.

So what I'm wondering is what makes the horrors of a minor pitch change not
manifest themselves when tuning to a different temperament?

Ron N