In a message dated 10/28/99 7:11:39 PM Pacific Daylight Time, rchayden1@juno.com writes: << Yes, bio's are definitely interesting reading. I've discovered that we Piano people are an unusual lot, often multi talented and varied in experiences. The more we know of each other the more we can be of help. How about a series of biographies? Roger Hayden, RPT >> I agree too. I found Frank's bio fascinating even though it was a bit off topic and unintended. I think sometimes we may misunderstand each other because we don't know where each other are "coming from", so to speak. If someone writes something plainly and factually for example, it can come off in many different negative ways that were never felt by the person writing them and also never intended. My views about temperament are a good example of that. I know what I know and stick to my principles. I realize fully that most people have other concepts, ideas and notions about tuning issues that are quite different from mine. My mind does get changed about certain things from time to time, however, it is not that I am completely inflexible. At the recent Chicago Chapter meeting where Virgil Smith RPT and I presented our different tuning styles, Virgil came up with a version of ET that I have to admit I really liked. It was also something that I would have thought would be totally wrong, inconceivable and thus impossible: ET within a contracted octave. (An octave that is tuned *narrowly* with a slight beat, about the same amount as most people widen it.) Never have I heard of such a thing before except that Richard Brekne of Norway had written about the very same thing a couple of weeks beforehand. It is completely opposite from the idea of ET with pure 5ths. All of the 5ths are tempered but this makes the 3rds sound much sweeter. Before this, I had a difficult time accepting that ET could have any variation to it at all but Virgil proved once and for all that you can vary octave width and still maintain all intervals tempered equally. I have been waiting for a report to come out on this event, not wanting to simply broadcast my own views. I think Michael Keener RPT (and soon to be Ph.D.) is writing something. He was the moderator of the event. Because I was an outsider to the Chicago Chapter, I was asked to write a biographical sketch of myself. Many people ask me the kinds of questions this answers, so this topic gives me a chance to present it publicly. <<Biographical Sketch Bill Bremmer RPT, age 47 grew up in Los Angeles but has now lived half of his life in Madison, Wisconsin, having decided to attend Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin. He speaks both Spanish and French fluently but lost interest in graduate studies in French. He liked Madison as a place to live, however and established his Piano Tuning business there in 1978. He has performed as a musician since early childhood and plays several different kinds of instruments but has only limited skills at the piano. He is an accomplished vocalist having sung with the Madison Symphony Chorus and Madison Opera for over ten years. He has also performed in other kinds of musical theater. He first learned to tune pianos from a correspondence course while still in high school at the age of 17 in 1969. He first participated with PTG in 1979 and attended his first Annual Convention in Minneapolis that year. He passed his exams in 1982 becoming an RPT and qualified as an Examiner trainee in 1983. He became a CTE in 1992. He has also served as Delegate to Council, Chapter Vice President and Chapter President. He attended numerous Regional Seminars and Annual Conventions over the years. He also attended factory training seminars at Kimball and Steinway. He operated a piano rebuilding shop for a period of seven years but now concentrates on the tuning and maintenance of pianos in service. His interest in Historical Temperaments and other nonstandard tuning innovations began in the mid-1980's having been influenced by fellow Madison Chapter Members, Tim Farley RPT and Norman Sheppard RPT as well as the teachings of Professor Owen Jorgensen RPT. Bill's enthusiasm for different tuning innovations gained him both attention and notoriety as he sought opportunities at Regional Seminars and Conventions to demonstrate that there could be any number of ways to tune a piano other than that which was considered standard practice and have it found to be acceptable, if not having even greater appeal. He hopes this demonstration today will motivate others to try different ideas that will lead to greater variety of tuning styles and ultimately greater interest in the piano itself.>> Regards to all, Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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