[pianotech] Tuning with simultaneous or staggered intervals -Howimportant?

[David Love]

The brain perceives melodic intervals differently than harmonic intervals. It's also something any violinist will tell you. This has been demonstrated often at conventions and you can do this yourself. Play c3 and then with that sound in your head tune c5. You'll find that there's a tendency to sharp the upper note. Similarly double octaves when tuned beatless tend to sound too narrow when played as melodic intervals.


David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: "David Nereson" <da88ve at gmail.com>
Sender: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 03:14:06 
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Reply-To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Tuning with simultaneous or staggered intervals -
	Howimportant?

    I was taught to play both notes of an interval 
simultaneously, except maybe in the highest octave, when using 
sense of pitch, rather than actual beats, to get the top note 
close, then play simultaneously to hear beats.  I don't see how 
playing the notes in immediate succession ("staggered") will 
cause one to tune the interval sharp.  Scientifically, I don't 
think you're correct on this.  The partials don't start beating 
until the second note is played, and they will beat the same 
speed as when played simultaneously.  Seems like an unnecessary 
time waste to play them "staggered."
    --David Nereson, RPT




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark & Janine Davis" <pianofortetechnology at saol.com>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 10:49 AM
Subject: [pianotech] Tuning with simultaneous or staggered 
intervals - Howimportant?


> Greetings to the list
>
>
>
> I learnt to tune staggered intervals, eg, tuning a fifth - 
> first play C#4
> and then play F#3 etc.I tuned octaves, tenths all my intervals 
> this way,
> seeking to tune smooth progression of the faster beating 
> intervals as one
> proceeds up the keyboard and vice versa for tuning down.  I 
> read Dean
> Howell's book and he tuned in a very similar way.   I have 
> bought the Exam
> source files and apart from reading at least on one occasion 
> someone
> mentioning tuning simultaneous intervals, I read the same 
> recommendation in
> the files too - to tune interval notes simultaneously and not 
> staggered.
> Apart from the tuning being stretched by tuning staggered 
> intervals, what
> are your thoughts and how do you tune, simultaneously or 
> staggered
> intervals?
>
> Best regards, Mark
>
>