HT Tests

[Robin Hufford]

Hello Richard,
     I hope my observations along this line are not taken  as indications that I
prefer ET, per se, to the better harmonic values found in some keys when instruments
are tuned in various ET's, as, in fact, I do prefer the better sound, at least to my
ear, of the keys containing less wide thirds.  It may well be that, like wine, where
the preference, that does indeed exist, for subtleties of various ETs, with their
ranges of tension occurs, it is an acquired taste.  If so, I have a hard time
seeing, as there is so little evidence of anything else, as I indicated in earlier
posts, of it being more than an incidental affect, as it were, and it appears to be,
with due respect to all, much more a concern of the tuners that advocate it than the
musicians that have used it.   This is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact it is
more likely to be a positive,  to my mind, given the entrenched, determined view of
many that the intervals of ET have some kind of intrinsic superiority which
supersedes all other possiblities, a view, which years ago I was almost convinced of
myself, after having made the effort to learn to tune in ET.
     Thinking this,  then, if I am correct, you would probably see, absent any kind
of prompting, that the uninitiated auditors in your study would prefer the less
tense keys and demonstrate a lessened like for the more tense ones.  Perhaps.
Regards, Robin Hufford
Richard Brekne wrote:

> Good suggestion Robin. I will do that.
>
> As for what they are indifferent too tempering wise.... I really do wonder if
> that is much more a matter of being conciously aware as to what to listen for. I
> "believe" we are talking more about  << learned ability >> then anything else in
> this regard. That might also be to some degree something we could check out.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>
> Robin Hufford wrote:
>
> > Hello Richard,
> >      Why don't you try to determine if, unbeknownst to themselves as to the
> > reasons why,  they prefer any key or keys to others.  I think it very likely
> > to be demonstrated that their preference is for the "cleaner" keys as you
> > indicate your observer noted below.
> >       In general, they will probably be indifferent to the general subtle
> > levels of mistuning, or, expressed another way, tempering,  at least,
> > according to my view.
> > Regards, Robin Hufford .
> >
> > Richard Brekne wrote:
>
> --
> Richard Brekne
> RPT, N.P.T.F.
> UiB, Bergen, Norway
> mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
> http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
>
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