Richard, I have my own piano tuned to the Valotti page on the SAT III. I have been playing this for a couple of weeks. I find the pure or nearly pure thirds interesting but I'm having a hard time with the abrupt changes in other key. I will be trying the Young next. David I. > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf > Of Richard Brekne > Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 1:11 PM > To: PTG > Subject: HT at UIB > > > List > > Many of you know I have embarked on a path towards learning more about > Historical Temperaments. I thought I might relate about a curious > development at the UiB this past week. After about 3 weeks of exposure to > one piano tuned with the help of Cyber Ear to the Vallotti Young > temperament, I beging to notice this particular piano more and > more in use. > I walked by the room yesterday and was a bit suprised to hear this > instrument being vigorously used, so I hazardly entered to see what was > going on. Here was this young girl just enthralled in her playing.... she > stopped abrubtly when she noticed me and smiled up at me a bit embarresed. > I asked her about the tuneing, what she thought and she said she > just loved > it... wanted to know more about why it sounded the way it did. > > We got into this rather lengthy discussion about the differences between > equal temperaments and non equal but non restrictive temperaments (what I > have surmised so far anyways) and she just couldnt get enough info. Asked > many questions I had no real answers too. I left her after explaining what > I could to her, telling her that my understanding of the music she was > playing was that the composer (Bach) very purposely used the > different keys > to both demonstrate the non-restrictive nature of this kind of > temperament, > and to purposely exploit the difference in key color, that if she thought > over what the composer did and where (from a composition theory point of > view) she might gain a new perspective into this music. I also told her I > was on shakey ground as far as all this was concerned, but regardless the > effort would be an enlightening one for her. > > She and 2 others students have related to me today that they > would like one > of the practice grands tuned this way, that they find it much more > enjoyable to play on... that they didnt quite like the sound at first but > the more they play on it the more they want that sound and not what they > have been used to. > > Just thought you might like to know. > > Also... a bit to the side of this... I find reading Owen Jorgensens > descriptions of how pianos were tuned in the 19th century and before > enthralling. Especially the idea that piano tuners didnt > neccessarilly play > intervals while tuning, rather singles note in succession. Finding the > right pitch for notes much in the manner we find the right pitch when > singing. This was "ear tuning", and what we do today was known as "beat > counting".. you had "ear tuners" and "beat counters". Must have been quite > a different... I shall use the word paradigm... > > What a neat place the world of HT is. > > -- > Richard Brekne > RPT, N.P.T.F. > Bergen, Norway > > >
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