Ed Foote and Coleman 11

[A440A@AOL.COM]

 Greetings, 

 John writes: (with caffiene driven snips)
<<  Situation : Piano tuned in a Young HT.  The owner was finding an E major

chord in a modern, slow C major piece just a bit 'strong' (theme to

Schindler's List) 

Anyhow, thought it was time to give the Coleman 11 a try.   

Verdict: An excellent choice for somebody wanting some key colour but

wanting to avoid 'problems' in pieces more suited to ET 

    Nice shot!  It sounds like you hit the target.  Avoiding problems is both 
necessary and unavoidable when departing from the status quo, and Jim 
Coleman's temperaments have proven themselves to be valuable tools in this 
endeavor.  

>>IMO, there was certainly a trade-off as Bach

sounded better in the Young.  However as a compromise (Ed, I trust you would

agree with me that finding the optimum compromise for the situation is what

this issue is all about, ET being just one possible compromise)

Agreed 100%.  
    There is a certain parallel between the use of tonality and the use of 
mind altering drugs,(some would say there are  few differences).   The effect 
from psycho-active drugs is dependant on the "set" and the "setting".  This 
refers to the person's mental "set" (frame of mind),  and the "setting" 
(environment) in which they find themselves.  The combination determines the 
effect. 
   Same with dissonance,  once ET is left, there are value judegments to be 
made by the tech, and imho these should primarily depend on the customer and 
the use.  That  John's customer was already well immersed in the tonal 
palette gives credibility to his taste when preferring the Coleman 11 to the 
Young.  This musician is more sensitive than the majority, to be making 
discriminations this fine, ie. 
     In the key of E, the Coleman 11 tempers the E-G# by only 16 cents while 
the Young requires it to be 18 cents.  In the same key, the B's tonic third 
(B-D#) is tempered 17 cents in the Coleman, in the Young it is 19 cents.  
Small differences,  but large enough so that they cross the customer's 
threshold.  
    I suspect that this pianist regards John as more than just a tuner, but 
also as a musically aware technician that brings more than just turning pins 
to his work.  That is the true utility of the temperaments to the modern 
technician, it allows us to become more valuable to the artists.  The 
aesthetic value of the temperaments depends on the musicians and composers 
that use them. It is our job to know what to offer.  We absolutely MUST be 
aware of the pianist's "set" and the music's "setting" before we start 
changing the familiar.  
 
>>the Coleman

11 combines beautifully the 'best of both worlds'.  Exactly as you had

described, the popular keys are more harmonious than ET (I originally wrote

'improved' but thought that might not be PC), and for practical purposes the

rest are about the same as ET.  I plan to make it a major part of the

standard offering from now on.<<

   Great!  One of the most valuable aspects of Jim's temperaments is that 
there are four of them that span the difference between ET and the Young.  
The mildest of them ( the #11) is, in practise, almost as universally 
applicable as ET.  The progression to his #16 offers small, incremental 
steps.  I begin my customers on the #11, and by the next tuning they are 
willing to try anything else I might have in mind. On successive tuning , I 
step them into stronger temperaments until we find a point where it begins to 
distract rather than strengthen their feelings about the musical sounds they 
are hearing.  I then back up a step and find that they are happier with their 
piano than they have ever been.  
      After building a clientele of high-end grand piano owners (it has been 
a 25 year task),  I am not going to be careless with them,  but risking 
rejection for progress with my temperament recommendations for the last 7 
years has deepened their loyalty, raised my prices, and added a lot of beauty 
to my customers lives.  This, in sum, has been well worth the effort required 
to learn about the temperaments. 


>> thanks to Jim Sr. for

its development and making it available to others.  I trust this post may

inspire somebody else to give it a try.  >>

I join you in thanking Jim, he has created a beautiful set of tools, and 
thanks for the good news, may there be a churning, burning, all-enveloping 
revival of tonality down under. (:)}} 
Regards, 
Ed Foote RPT