From: A440A@AOL.COM Date sent: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 20:01:18 EST To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: ET Send reply to: pianotech@ptg.org > Jon asks: > >Please complete the following sentence. > >Equal Temperament is more widely accepted and versitile because . . . > > 1) it is all that the vast majority has ever known > > Regards, > Ed Foote > Precision Piano Works > Nashville, Tn. > Eh, From what I can piece together, ET (or approximate variations thereof) has been a work in progress for the last 150 years or more. So... because the vast majority has practised ET is not because they are wrong (or bent on world domination)... but because they have been contributing to an ongoing effort to have a playable keyboard system in the available keys. This has been evident in the evolvement of temperaments contemporaneously with the development of pianos; and current tuning practise is a natural result of this ongoing progression. caveat: whomever misinterprets the above to be a personal attack on their personal system of carefully constructed beliefs, it is not, merely a statement of what has transpired prior to the author (namely: ME!) but what I have been trained to understand, (and accept, and learn from) So having made my position perfectly clear... How does a historical perspective reconcile itself with current instruments and tuning practise? Let it be known that I have worked with several Baroque harpsichordists and found that they choose tune in ET because this is what they are familiar with and the orchestras are comfortable with. Are they wrong? Should they change temperaments with the programs they play? Should they ditch their 18th C violins and violas for modern instruments? I am asking for some moderation here... we should realize what century we inhabit and what kind of instruments we work with. We have the luxury of discriminating between 18th and 19th C instruments. We should also realize that calling for a documented HT is not necessarily the cure-all. We (as techs and musical advisors) have to accept what we are working with and adjust accordingly. The blather (and real honest discussion) over HT vs ET has been severely blurred. Statements like the above (and Mr. Foote, I have a great deal of respect for you, you have done a lot to further the knowledge of Historical Temperaments) serve to further the division that ET tuners see over historical temperaments. It's not a case of my temperament is better than yours (witness the 1/7 comma meantone temperament as a tonic for the ET) but a genuine appreciation for music evolvement and digression, evident in discussion over temperaments and practise. As technicians, it is our duty (and pleasure) to discuss and present alternate forms of musical practise and technique to interested parties (ie: our clients, should they be receptive), based on our knowledge and willingness to disseminate our knowledge. This should never be abused. Regards, Rob Kiddell, Registered Piano Technician, PTG atonal@telusplanet.net "Windows NT crash I am the blue screen of death no one hears you scream" -Windows haiku error message
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