Normally stretched treble sounds flat

[John D. Chapman]

John,
I have experimented with very stretched tunings for about a
year now.  Reactions from pianists have been positive.  Some
love it.  Others dont notice any difference.  Three things started
my experiment.  The first was that the only suggestions from
pianists about my tuning was that they occasionally said that
certain notes in the mid treble sounded flat, even though these
notes were already on the sharp side of all my tuning tests.  No
pianist has ever said that notes were too sharp.  The second
thing was attending the Steinway Technician Education
Program in Tuning and Voicing.  This was reinforced by, third,
a number of articles in the Journal which I can probably dig up
if that would help.
The stretched tunings I have done consist of tuning a slightly
wide two octave A to A temperament followed by continuing to
notes 88 and 1 using perfect fifths.
When we use equal temperament we are already compromising
everything but the octaves.  If we tune the double octaves pure,
or even the triple octaves pure, our octaves can sound good to
us, but to many listeners melodic lines will sound cramped, flat
in the treble and sharp in the bass.  Here another compromise
might help.  Do we want beautiful octaves and cramped
arpeggios, or do we compromise the octaves?
I feel that this stretched tuning works especially well in big
halls, or in situations where the piano needs to carry or cut
through a muffling environment. 

John Chapman RPT
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem NC


On Tue, 13 Feb 2001, John Baird wrote:

> Alternate Subject Line:   Outrageously stretched treble sounds great
> 
> RE: The phenomenon where a normally, RPT-exam-passing, stretched treble
> sounds flat, especially when playing a slow arpeggio up to the top
> octave, but an extremely stretched treble sounds very good. The single
> octaves, 10ths & 17ths don't pass an inspection by tuners, but the piano
> does sound great when it is played.
> 
> I believe this has been discussed before--does anyone remember when or
> what the subject line was?
> 
> How much of this outrageous, great-sounding, tuning is being done around
> the country? I am currently being pressed in this direction, and for the
> most part will go there willingly, but I would be interested in any
> current and/or past discussion.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> John Baird
> Millikin University
> Decatur, Illinois
> 
>