Stretch Vs.Temperament, (was Beat Rates)

Billbrpt@AOL.COM Billbrpt@AOL.COM
Sun, 11 Aug 2002 00:40:29 EDT


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In a message dated 8/9/02 10:59:49 PM Central Daylight Time, 
remoody@midstatesd.net (Richard Moody) writes:


> For the tuner, the ability to achieve ET is known only by other
> tuners.  Yes there are some situations that might "catch up" to
> the sloppy tuner but I doubt he would advance that far in the
> profession for that to happen.  For example tuning a piano in one
> room and a piano  in another and for some reason they are moved
> together to be played as a duet.  Or a certain group that wanted
> to mix songs from different concerts and in the studio, found the
> piano didn't always match.   Renting a piano and playing it with
> the one already there. One tuner tuning the piano there and
> another tuner for the rental company.  But just try to explain to
> the stage manager (who made sure they were both "just tuned" in
> that case why both pianos should then be tuned by the same tuner.
> From the recording company that sends tapes from SF to LA they
> soon hear which pianos from which studios do or do not match, to
> the piano on site (as in movie)does not match well with the piano
> in the sound recording studio, there are many opportunities for
> the careful and consistent tuner to flourish, or flounder.  In the
> end it will be attitude that deals with the floundering
> situations.
>        

To me, this shows that there is a lot more inconsistency among tuners than 
we'd really like to think about or admit yet there are so many who just can't 
imagine anything but ET.  The "E" in ET stands for "Equal" which means "the 
same".  How can all of these pianos not be compatible with each other and all 
still be "Equal"?  Sure, there are different scale designs and differing 
amounts of stretch but I don't think that accounts for all of this 
incompatibility.

To me, this is simply more evidence that ET remains elusive and is not really 
practiced or achieved nearly as much as it is believed to be.  I'd rather be 
honest about what I do and say that I don't tune in ET and don't tune every 
piano exactly the same but one thing I can guarantee is that a piano I tune 
will be at standard pitch and will be compatible with all other instruments, 
including fixed pitch instruments presumed to be in ET.

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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