I wrote: >customers that recognize a Kirnberger, and > several harpsichordists knew when I had changed to a Young for a performance, after they had been practising with a Prelleur. Ric asks: Are you saying they can recognize a Kirnberger tuning simply by listening to a piece being played? Greetings, They recognize a Kirnberger just by walking up to the keyboard and playing a C triad. Recognizing the Kirnbergers are relatively easy because there is a Just C-E third in the III and Just G-B and F-A in his earlier ones. You don't often find this arrangement in other temperaments, except the meantones) >Or if three instruments are tuned to Kirnberger, >Young and Prelleur, they could point out which instrument is tuned to which >temp? Hmm, I dunno about that. The Young and Prelleur are not very dissimilar, and it would take a more practised ear than my own to distinguish between them during play. However, judging the ability of ears to distinguish between temperaments is mainly of academic interest. Of more importance is the effect on the pianist and the amount of contrast in the music. Pianists often comment on how a well tempered piano seems to have power steering. There is a clarity in there that is usually the first thing noticed. And why not? WTs have tucked some of the dissonance away in a remote corner, making the harmony more consonant almost everywhere else in the music. Ric again: Of course I am not going to say "because I can't tell the difference no one else can" but for people like me who are curious, certainly it should be easy to assertain who does and who does not have this ability. More importantly, can this ability be developed, or through training can a person acquire this ability? Yes, the sensitivity to temperament can be developed. I did, so I know that anybody can. There is one requirement; the tunings have to be listened to. ET has to be avoided for a while, so that it shows its tonal character when you return and listen to it again. It took me over a week of no-ET listening before I was struck by the sound of ET. At that point, I had acquired a new perspective: an epiphany that I hadn't expected. As far as distinguishing between the various temperaments, that is difficult, since these differences are often less than what a pianist can create through their own ideas of "expression",(like, how edgy should that passage in F# be played? The extra 6 cents in the thirds is just one component of the musical impression). >We know pitch recognition seems to be innate, as compared to the ablility to recognize intervals which must be acquired through training. Perhaps an evaluation procedure might provide some answers and stimulate new and wider interest in the topic of temperament<< I hope so, and we are trying. That is why I am saying hang on until the next temperament CD ("Six Degrees") comes out. There is one track on it in ET, it is the very last one. I believe that the ET sound will be recognizable after listening to 8 preceding tracks of various temperaments. At least, that is the intention. (This subject will be easier to discuss when we have an actual artifact to compare our perspectives on). Regards, ED Foote RPT
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC