Temp. comparisons:

[David Ilvedson]

I would hazard a guess:  musicians in general are used to playing on out of tune pianos...poor unisons is what they usually hear, not all those reverse well tunings.  This is a fact of life with the piano.  It doesn't stay in tune as well as we would like and it costs $ to tune, so people don't tune their pianos enough...

David I.



----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Richard Brekne <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 09:41:17 +0200
Subject: Re: Temp. comparisons:

>Richard Moody wrote:

>> >... it just shakes my preception of things as they are if it is
>> true
>> > that musicians and tuners alike cannot hear immediately that this
>> is far
>> > away from ET. Must admit.... am a bit confused right now.
>>
>> Its no biggie.  My theory is, perhaps some people are more
>> sensitive to it than others.  Meantone is not usually heard on
>> pianos so yes it should sound different.  Meantone is the one temp
>> furtherst from ET.  But practice a piece in it for 10 minutes and
>> see if you don't loose "perception" of it.  Stay close to C
>> though.  Play some Christmas Carols or folk songs and see if they
>> don't sound "sweeter".  The minors sound more minor.  Yes there is
>> a lot of character to Meantone.  Meantone by its self means 1/4
>> comma producing pure 3rds.  The others get into wider 3rds and
>> less of a wolf and towards WTs

>I can pretty much buy this Ric.  Tho I have run BB's EBVT on a piano
>at the school for almost two years now. Students pretty much dont
>notice the difference.... even when I point out a few things to them.
>But I hear it right off. In close keys everything is so .... well easy
>going... relaxed... almost sleepy depending on the passages, where as
>moving outwards things get quite a bit more lively til in the end
>there are intervals and chords that are pretty much shouting at you.

>What unsettles me is that, while I have lots of music in my background
>I have little formal music education, yet I seem to have difficulty
>understand why any trained musician doesnt immediately and decidely
>react to the change in musical relationships. Ok... I had church choir
>from when I was 5, and piano lessons from about the same time til I
>got fed up around 15. And my mom was a very good pianist who managed
>to get quite far before she married.... but how is that line up with
>formal ear training and music theory at University level. Just what is
>it they are teaching these people ?

>>     The discussions about "not hearing it" are usually WT vs ET.
>> Also..... truthfully I cannot hear it on that recording
>> because.... my soundcard is on the fritz.

>Grin... well that is allowed.

>> But I have heard MT a
>> lot on my own piano, that is where it is tuned now.   It does give
>> the A major Prelude (Chopin )... well....a different
>> t.      ---ric

>I would imagine it does. Thanks Ric for more interesting reading.

>Cheers
>RicB


>--
>Richard Brekne
>RPT, N.P.T.F.
>UiB, Bergen, Norway
>mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
>http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html