Is this a physical impossibility?

Roger Jolly baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca
Mon, 04 Dec 2000 20:54:43 -0600


Hi Avery,
          You asked.  He! He! He!

I was asked to give a lecture to a group of registered music teachers,
on how to communicate with their piano tech's.  Also some tuition on how
to tell the difference from tuning, vs voicing, vs regulation.

As a spoof, I tuned one concert grand in ET and the other in HT. 
(Volatti/Young)

After speaking for 1 1/4hr. I sprung a suprise ear training test on
them.  Jolly's ear training 101.

Had a friend play the opening movement of the Pathetique and last
movement of Waldstein.

Question: Which piano is in tune?  They were forwarned that I had taken
a head count and that every one must give an answer.

Suprise.  5 for ET.  31 for HT.

Since I was only accepting both are in tune, or both are out of tune, (I
tuned them the previous day)
as being the correct answer. I was accused of submitting trick
questions. Some one even commented that I was guilty of dirty pool.

Every one in the room was suprised about the out come. Once it was
explained that this was a temperament that may have been used by
Beethoven. Certainly in use from about 1799 to say 1810.

The contrast from C major to minor was the eye opener. Then some one
played a short snippet of some thing in F#, Ha,Ha, and Yuck!

Many teachers stayed late just to play for them selves.  They will be
organising a HT concert later in the season.

What started out as a spoof kind of joke, got a lot of people intrigued.

This was my first public attempt at HT, so i was more than a little on
edge.  But pleasantly suprised at the outcome.

Now you know.

Roger

Avery Todd wrote:

>     Tell us more. Temperamental minds want to know!
> 
> Avery


This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC