At 5:34 PM 7/6/95 -0600, Gilreath@aol.com wrote: .......... While some pieces sound much more >harmonious in a certain non-equal tuning, and proper writing makes use of the >inherent dissonances, other pieces ,or simply playing in a different key, >sound absolutely terrible. Everything is a trade off, or as they say you >don't get something for nothing. The historical tnuings have a very definite >place when used in the right context and application. However, while I use >these temperaments for historical concerts, I'm not quite ready to give up on >equal temperament as a failed experiment. > __________ Let me say that I am compelled to qualify the .... "absolutely terrible" in this statement. Presuming you refer to unrestrictive temperament, then by defination, nothing is restrictive. Of course in restrictive temperament we do get some diminished fourths, and in meantone, an diminished sixth, but that is its objective. The secret of unequal, unrestrivtive temperament that makes it so magically unrestrictive (and which so many seem to have missed) is the proportionally beating triads and chords. With so much complicated harmonic activity going on at the same time, it should be evident that some very interesting and musical solutions can be tailored to that individual instruments' inharmonicity. This is what makes tuning fun for me. I am not out to bash equal because it has its place, of course, but the problem with equal IMO is that its interval beat speeds bear no relationship to other interval beat speeds within a given triad. If you listen closely to an accurate, strong well-temperament for some time, I believe you would agree that the least appealing (or certainly least expressive) keys are the normal ones like A maj., that are actually closest to equal. My argument is that while it is certainly appropriate, necessary and even desirable to have at our musical disposal less expressive or normal moods, 2 or 3 keys is enough of that particular color. In the end however, this is not even really an issue for debate because it is simply a personal aesthetic judgement. I encourage each professional tuner to be less afraid of shocking your pianists and to make serious, honest aesthetic judgements about your temperament. I have never had a real problem from musicians concerning my temperaments and I have regularly tuned the performance, practice and teaching pianos here unequally for about 5 years. Most of the faculty don't even know, some of them, and most of the students, love it. There, I said it, and I'll stand back now. Enough opinions for one day. Have a good weekend, Dennis Johnson St. Olaf College
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