Bill Bremmer writes: >But I'll leave it to the traitor among HT tuners, Ed Foote >who once called the 1/7 Comma Meantone Temperament a "disaster, like a train > wreck or a burning building" to demonstrate again his Uncle Tom approach >to temperament tuning. It's what PTG wants and deserves. <snip lotta negative vibes>. Greetings all, My technical critisism of Mr. Bremmer's choice of temperament in Milwaukee was held for five years, though I told Bremmer at the time that his preferred level of dissonance and contrast was beyond me. I only posted my convention impressions when Mr. Bremmer (in an attack on perceived " conspirators") claimed far wider support for his tuning than I saw evidenced while there. I felt that a rebuttal was due and I stand by my remarks. The result was a continuing series of personal attacks that I have no interest in fueling. However, there are some errors involved here that I DO need to clarify. 1. >"the traitor among HT tuners" This presupposes that I was, in some form, part of an alliance that included Mr. Bremmer; that I was a member of some "HT group" which I betrayed. NOT! I have operated as independantly as possible since I began, and refuse to allow Mr. Bremmer or anyone else to enroll me in their cause. What I am doing might be in opposition, but I never became part of anything that I could "betray". 2. His claim that a small minority of tuners and instrument makers has steered the PTG away from his position is ludicrous. There is a growing temperament awareness throughout the trade and the PTG has done more to assist the spread of this new knowledge than any other entity I know of. I didn't solicit a teaching spot at the convention, but was pleased to have been asked. Other chapters have asked me to speak on temperaments at their meetings and I hope I gave them their money's worth. Even jousting with Virgil Smith was a wonderful experience, and I think we both came away with new perspectives. I welcome a public critique of my presentation if there are any onliners that were there and wanted to comment. I haven't seen any hostility in these encounters. Some disinterest around the edges, sure, but there are a lot of techs out there that are just beginning their investigation of the temperaments and I am proposing an approach that doesn't include condemning their status quo. If that interests the Guild enough for them to request my Temperament Revival dog and pony show, I consider it an honor. If I am totally misguided in my message, I'll find out. Others have their agendas. Some are combative, others are totally silent. I am sorry that there are those that feel threatened, but meanwhile, I intend to continue producing recordings of well tempered pianos. I want to change the world, and this is how I am trying to do it. I won't respond to the personal attacks but I continue to invite critique on my choice of tunings, as they explain my idea of beauty more fully than any words I might have. Regards, Ed Foote RPT
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