HT at UIB

[David Ilvedson]

Richard,

I have my own piano tuned to the Valotti page on the SAT III.  I have been
playing this for a couple of weeks.  I find the pure or nearly pure thirds
interesting but I'm having a hard time with the abrupt changes in other key.
I will be trying the Young next.

David I.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
> Of Richard Brekne
> Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 1:11 PM
> To: PTG
> Subject: HT at UIB
>
>
> List
>
> Many of you know I have embarked on a path towards learning more about
> Historical Temperaments. I thought I might relate about a curious
> development at the UiB this past week. After about 3 weeks of exposure to
> one piano tuned with the help of Cyber Ear to the Vallotti Young
> temperament, I beging to notice this particular piano more and
> more in use.
> I walked by the room yesterday and was a bit suprised to hear this
> instrument being vigorously used, so I hazardly entered to see what was
> going on. Here was this young girl just enthralled in her playing.... she
> stopped abrubtly when she noticed me and smiled up at me a bit embarresed.
> I asked her about the tuneing, what she thought and she said she
> just loved
> it... wanted to know more about why it sounded the way it did.
>
> We got into this rather lengthy discussion about the differences between
> equal temperaments and non equal but non restrictive temperaments (what I
> have surmised so far anyways) and she just couldnt get enough info. Asked
> many questions I had no real answers too. I left her after explaining what
> I could to her, telling her that my understanding of the music she was
> playing was that the composer (Bach) very purposely used the
> different keys
> to both demonstrate the non-restrictive nature of this kind of
> temperament,
> and to purposely exploit the difference in key color, that if she thought
> over what the composer did and where (from a composition theory point of
> view) she might gain a new perspective into this music. I also told her I
> was on shakey ground as far as all this was concerned, but regardless the
> effort would be an enlightening one for her.
>
> She and 2 others students have related to me today that they
> would like one
> of the practice grands tuned this way, that they find it much more
> enjoyable to play on... that they didnt quite like the sound at first but
> the more they play on it the more they want that sound and not what they
> have been used to.
>
> Just thought you might like to know.
>
> Also... a bit to the side of this... I find reading Owen Jorgensens
> descriptions of how pianos were tuned in the 19th century and before
> enthralling. Especially the idea that piano tuners didnt
> neccessarilly play
> intervals while tuning, rather singles note in succession. Finding the
> right pitch for notes much in the manner we find the right pitch when
> singing. This was "ear tuning", and what we do today was known as "beat
> counting".. you had "ear tuners" and "beat counters". Must have been quite
> a different... I shall use the word paradigm...
>
> What a neat place the world of HT is.
>
> --
> Richard Brekne
> RPT, N.P.T.F.
> Bergen, Norway
>
>
>