Harpsichord tuning

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

Dave, Avery, Sid,

At 18:33 2/15/2006, Dave wrote:
>Conrad, I was not suggesting using the SAT as a tuning aid in 
>harpsichords. I was just pointing out that if one did calculate the 
>FAC numbers, they would likely all be close to zero.  It is not a 
>sin, however, to set the temperament octave with SAT help.  with 
>appropriate aural checks of course. I agree that it doesnt make 
>sense to use the machine for octave up and down the scale afterward.

Maybe the purest in me jumped a little hard on this, but in the time 
someone is setting up an ETD, I've got half or more of the temperament done.

>I learned "tuning" on harpsichords, and was amazed how difficult 
>pianos were by comparison, when I got into it.  No more difficult 
>maybe in the temperament, but the rest of the scale, yes.

I learned on Grinnell uprights in practice rooms at MSU.  It's been 
gravy train ever since... ;-}

>Dave Smith
>SW FL
>
>" My only sin is that I am a Phil Bondi admirer"

Au contraire, mon ami. The error of your ways is in admitting it!

========================
>>At 05:48 PM 2/15/2006, Avery wrote:
>>>
>>>IMMHO, tuning a harpsichord with an ETD is like swatting a 
>>>mosquito with a howitzer.  Use your ears. The beats are easier to 
>>>hear than on a piano and make more sense.
>>
>>Well, that's only true if one can tune HT's aurally. :-D I haven't 
>>tuned ET on a harpsichord for years. Unless I'm tuning for the 
>>Houston Symphony, of course!

I hadn't seen ET specifically mentioned and jumped to confusions.

HTs are easier than ET, anyway, if you know the recipe, right?  I've 
got "recipe cards" with me all the time with the "favorite hits" for 
the occasional times the harpsichord faculty want to deviate from 
ET.  Unfortunately, that hasn't been enough to overcome my retention 
span problems and I no longer have them memorised...;-{


======================
>>Marshall
>>ps. how often does a harpsichord tuning come up in ones career generally?
>
>For me, 22 years, never.
>Sid


For me as a CAUT, weekly.




Conrad Hoffsommer
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