"Reverse Well", was Temperament, A Tooner responds

Billbrpt@AOL.COM Billbrpt@AOL.COM
Mon, 17 Dec 2001 21:24:52 EST


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In a message dated 12/17/01 7:12:12 PM Central Standard Time, kam544@flash.net
 writes:


> Charles, List,
> 
> Thank you for supplying this information.  It certainly clarifies one of
> those questions.
> 
> 

Thanks so much to Charles for posting that archive information.  I had 
forgotten that I had written such an extensive response but I do know that I 
have said many times that I did not invent the term, "Reverse Well".  Owen 
Jorgensen recognizes it and has written to me in private about it but I have 
never seen the words as such published.

I will post that article immediately on my website and will announce it 
publicly when I have the final edited version completed.  What I want on my 
website is this kind of information.  Ron Koval's graphs will soon be posted. 
 I'm talking to Skip Becker about posting his entire series of articles 
called "History of Tuning".

People talk about ET as being the *end* of the evolution of tuning.  I think 
something else started happening about 1985.  It seems to me that what I am 
doing is the result of what I have learned from others, both those who only 
want ET and those who don't.  You won't find my ideas about an Equal Beating 
Victorian Temperament in any book.  Nor will you ever find the terms, 
"Tempered Octaves" or "Reverse Well".  Where you will find these subjects 
discussed is here on Pianotech and in my new website.

The answer to your other question is basically that the power behind the EBVT 
with tempered octaves is one of the examples of where "Less is More".  Look 
to the *cummulative effect* of the very small changes I have made to the 
*usual* way the piano is tuned to find what is worth while about it.

The most common comment I receive when a listener knows about the EBVT and 
hears something played on a piano I have tuned is, "It sounds really great 
but I can't tell what the difference is from ET".  Yet consider this, it 
would *not* pass the PTG Exam.  On the other hand, when a comparison is made, 
the distinctions become quite evident and I don't mind saying that the 
preference is *heavily* in favor of the EBVT.

Today I encountered a piano tuned in a way that most readers of this list 
would think   highly improbable, if not impossible..  I don't like to read 
these, "how bad was it?" stories with all the gory details so I'll try to be 
as *clinical* as possible.  It was Reverse Well, to be sure.  Half of the 
notes were 8 cents off from ET.  This would have scored *-120* on the PTG 
Exam!!!  

It was exactly opposite of the way many early WT's such as Kirnberger, 
Werkmieister or Aaron-Neidhardt are.  I have heard 19th and 20th Century 
music played in these temperaments and people largely do accept the sound as 
normal.  It is when Technicians raise their objections that heated emotions 
occur.

This piano had been moved from the East Coast.  I can hardly believe one 
thing:  that it was tuned *acceptably* in ET and this was the result of 
moving.  I can believe, however that anyone who makes a living tuning pianos 
and produces this kind of result is *not* aware of how far *off* it really 
is, thinks that what is being done is good and proper work and finally, knows 
*abosolutely NOTHING* about HT's but would *swear* that he/she is tuning ET.

This customer's main concern was about the pedal trapwork which the movers 
could not figure out how to reinstall.  Turns out it took me as long to 
figure it out and get it working as it did to tune the piano.  The customer 
actually said, "I'm mainly concerned about the pedals but I think it may need 
tuning, I don't know, I can't really tell".  Of course I said nothing about 
Reverse Well or EBVT.  I tuned the piano and when I played it for her, she 
said, "Well yes, that *does* sound much better!"  That's good enough for me.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin
 <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> 

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