Piano tuning studies

[Dennis Johnson]

At  5:34 PM 7/6/95 -0600, Gilreath@aol.com wrote:
..........  While some pieces sound much more
>harmonious in a certain non-equal tuning, and proper writing makes use of the
>inherent dissonances, other pieces ,or simply playing in a different key,
>sound absolutely terrible.  Everything is a trade off, or as they say you
>don't get something for nothing.  The historical tnuings have a very definite
>place when used in the right context and application.  However, while I use
>these temperaments for historical concerts, I'm not quite ready to give up on
>equal temperament as a failed experiment.
>
__________


        Let me say that I am compelled to qualify the .... "absolutely
terrible" in this statement. Presuming you refer to unrestrictive
temperament, then by defination, nothing is restrictive. Of course in
restrictive temperament we do get some diminished fourths, and in meantone,
an diminished sixth, but that is its objective. The secret of unequal,
unrestrivtive temperament that makes it so magically unrestrictive (and
which so many seem to have missed) is the proportionally beating triads and
chords. With so much complicated harmonic activity going on at the same
time, it should be evident that some very interesting and musical solutions
can be tailored to that individual instruments' inharmonicity. This is what
makes tuning fun for me. I am not out to bash equal because it has its
place, of course, but the problem with equal IMO is that its interval beat
speeds bear no relationship to other interval beat speeds within a given
triad. If you listen closely to an accurate, strong well-temperament for
some time, I believe you would agree that the least appealing (or certainly
least expressive) keys are the normal ones like A maj., that are actually
closest to equal. My argument is that while it is certainly  appropriate,
necessary and even desirable to have at our musical disposal less
expressive or normal moods, 2 or 3 keys is enough of that particular color.
        In the end however, this is not even really an issue for debate
because it is simply a personal aesthetic judgement. I encourage each
professional tuner to be less afraid of shocking your pianists and to make
serious, honest aesthetic judgements about your temperament.  I have never
had a real problem from musicians concerning my temperaments and I have
regularly tuned the performance, practice and teaching pianos here
unequally for about 5 years. Most of the faculty don't even know, some of
them, and most of the students, love it.

        There, I said it, and I'll stand back now. Enough opinions for one day.
Have a good weekend,


Dennis Johnson
St. Olaf College