Richard writes: << There is simply no doubt that most, if not all western music sounds delightfull in ET. That it can also sound delightfull in other temperament colourings is simply another fact.>> Greetings, I must disagree. This statement posits that there is no value difference in the use of various temperaments. Based on what I am seeing, there are a growing number of pianists that, after being introduced to the alternatives, use words other than "delightful" to describe ET . "Boring" "tedious" and "edgy" are three common adjectives I hear. >>Those who say otherwise speak only for themselves and refer to no universal truth whatsoever. Indeed, such opinion speaks of a complete failure to understand the basic nature of art to begin with. << I dunno about "universal" truths, but there is a profound difference between the two tuning styles mentioned. The big difference I am seeing is that after listening to their piano in a well tempered tuning, the heretofore equally tempered musician rarely wants to return to ET. After 5 years of providing these tunings, I have had six customers that wanted to return to ET. My clientele is now about 70 % well tempered, and I don't think my understanding of the "art" has been diminished because of it. I would like to hear Richard's defininition on "the basic nature of art", since it appears that this is something he feels is not grasped by people who have a preference in temperament. Regards, Ed Foote RPT
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