[pianotech] re: the true properties of EBVT

[Ron Koval]

Bill, Ed, and other respected technicians,

I read and re-read what got thrown out on the list on this topic.  As I've 
been involved in this thread for many years, I thought it was time for me to 
respond.   Now, what got me to write is this:

Bill Bremmer wrote:

Ed Foote lied and tried to escalate a fight on this list as he has done many 
times in the past by saying:

>This doesn't change the fact that the ebvt creates a more tempered E-G# of 
>17+cents than the F#-A# of 13.7.  It is folly to think that going up two 
>semitones will somehow make the F# third seem to beat faster.  It doesn't, 
>and the harmonic balance is poor because of it.
<snip>

(Back to Bill Bremmer)
These are the correct figures which Ed knows are correct and do not create 
an imbalance but instead, Equal Beating, which is allowed under 
Werkmeister's rules:

E3           17.5

F#3         16.0

I tune by ear, so rather than depending on a program, I listen to what I am 
doing.  The very last thing I would ever do is create a temperament which 
has the kind of imbalances which Ed maliciously used to try to discredit 
what I've been doing for 10 years.
<snip>


Back to me...
Now, without any inflammatory language, what I see here is a 
misunderstanding of terms.

Ed described, using the the width of Major thirds in cents, a non-standard 
progression, when comparing the latest published figures for the EBVT.  Bill 
responded, correctly, that BEATS, not cents, govern what we hear.  However, 
the above numbers, showing beats/second still show that by using the 
published numbers, the Emaj third will beat one and a half beats/second 
faster than the F#maj third.  These numbers still support Ed's position.

So, I think the terminology of equal beating has caused some confusion.  
Those of us "number crunchers" took the term very literally.  Equal means 
equal.  This has been the difficulty making the numbers work for the EBVT.  
If we are now to accept that for the purposes of creating the temperament, 
16 equals (or is close enough to) 17.5, there is a much wider range into 
which this temperament may fit.

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Koval







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