Just tuning

Israel Stein custos3@comcast.net
Tue, 17 May 2005 21:09:59 -0700


At 11:00 AM 5/17/2005, David Ilvedson wrote:
>A hall I do work for brought in a group for a performance last 
>week.   They brought a tuner who tuned (they brought their own piano) the 
>piano to a Just tuning.   Performance involved a grant and what have 
>you...anyway, I missed the performance but did get a chance to play the 
>piano the next day.   I've got to tell you I couldn't get used to beatless 
>thirds...really sounded weird.    Is this suppose to be the "sweet" sound?

No it isn't. It doesn't work on the high-tension modern piano - the effect 
is distorted by high inharmonicity and by the weakness of the middle 
overtones relative to the fundamental. Which is why I think that people who 
tune modern pianos to Just Intonation or meantones are nuts. It does sound 
rather nice on low tension strings (harpsichords, viol consorts and such) - 
and there is nothing more beautiful than winds or voices tuned in pure 
triads...

>  If so I'm sticking with a low sugar diet...;-]   Of course a beatless 
> third and then the next one really fast is so disconcerting...I imagine 
> when playing in the correct key and not venturing out of it one could 
> enjoy the sound...

Just Intonation has nothing to do with "keys". In the era that it was used 
the concept of "keys" didn't exist.

Israel Stein



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