Just tuning and "sweetness"

[Jason Kanter]

Just for accuracy ... Kirnberger has *two* pure thirds, CE and GB.
http://rollingball.com/images/Kirnberger.gif 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Israel Stein
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 7:33 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Just tuning and "sweetness"

At 03:58 AM 5/18/2005, Ed Foote wrote:
>  We should remember that David wrote "Just" tuning.  Just intonation 
>is not Meantone tuning.  I have heard Just tunings before that seemed 
>incredibly limiting for what I got, but in that one key, things could 
>sound really nice.
>As there is little commercial return from these tunings, I haven't 
>pursued them as much as others that I can sell.
>       As to a distorted effect of a just interval on a modern piano,  
>I  can't agree.  I have often tuned a Kirnberger III on a piano and the 
>key of C didn't sound distorted by its Just third.  It sounded very 
>consonant and far removed from the tension of the more remote keys.  It 
>was certainly different, but seems to better fit the music of the 
>1700's than most others.

Kirnberger is a "well" temperament. And on a modern piano - as on any other
instrument - it will serve its purpose of differentiating between the
characters of the different keys, which is why there is a point to tuning it
on a modern piano. What David found hard to understand is why a just tuning
was considered "sweet". That Kinberger  just third may sound more consonant
than the faster-beating thirds on the modern piano - but it isn't an
overwhelmingly gorgeous aural experience on a modern piano in and of itself
- like it is on other instruments and in vocal and instrumental ensembles -
due to the acoustical properties of the modern piano which I cited. Which is
why tunings whose purpose it is to maximize the use of pure thirds - such as
meantones - have little commercial application on modern pianos, while the
"well" temperaments - where key difference is the desired property - can be
useful on the modern piano for period music that is based on them.
Fundamentally, Ed, it appears that we do not disagree...

BTW, the much steeper increase in beat speeds from key to key that is the
result of preserving that one pure third in Kirnberger is a price many
musicians are not willing to pay.

Regards,

Israel Stein


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