Stretch Vs.Temperament, (was Beat Rates)

[Keith Roberts]

I think it's more of an overall feeling of the piano sound that people hear.
Only by playing a piece I am very familiar with can I tell the difference. A
fifth that beats too fast stands out if you're used to it being smooth.
Otherwise I have to analyze the music to determine if that was the way the
composer intended that combination of notes to sound. I find people know
what they are used to, not what it should be like. I know I'm not the best
tuner, but I find that when I like the tuning, the customer loves it. If I
love the tuning the customer is overjoyed.
Academic? Maybe I'm not as sloppy as I think. Maybe some people think HT is
just a sloppy ET.......JUST KIDDING!  No more fireworks please. So far I
haven't found many customers who know the difference. I just try to deliver
a consistent product that only I know how much refinement needs to be done
to it. Every time I go round the circle it gets better. I hope one of these
days a customer asks me to tune a HT. Till then I just concentrate on
getting the octave spread right and leave the equal spacing to the
accutuner. I do think it's faster to check for mistakes aurally.
Activate the shields Scotty.
Keith R


> Ric writes:
> > If indeed there exists a substantial number of people who can't
> > hear the difference, I as a piano tuner am willing and able to
> > satisfy their desires and tune for them a very good ET.
>
>  Hmm,  this brings up a question.  If these substantial numbers of people
> can't hear the difference between a well-temperament and ET, then, for
this
> substantial number, the difference between a sloppy ET and a "very good"
one
> is purely academic, no?
> Regards,
> Ed Foote
>