SV: more on this temperament thing

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

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In a message dated 10/16/01 9:14:31 PM Central Daylight Time, 
pianola@online.no (Ola Andersson) writes:


> I very much like the Young myself.
> I usually end up playing in the Db key 
> and the velttemperert klavier ...woow.
> 
This is in itself a very interesting comment.  The sounds which are 
titillating to *you* go unnoticed by many (at least consciously) and are what 
incite small but very angry and vocal mobs to near violence at PTG seminars 
and conventions.

Owen Jorgensen had me tune the Young and 1/4 Comma Meantone for him at the 
Convention in Dearborn.  I usually would not have done either one.  To me, 
the Meantone was so extreme that it causes the piano to lose virtually all of 
the *resonance* it has become known for.  The Young was just too bland and 
uninteresting.  I never tune it because to me, there are so many more ideas 
which do make the modern piano more tonal and give music a very desirable 
*texture* which is not found with ET.

Still, there are those who will say that even a Victorian temperament sounds 
out of tune.  Some people are so used to the perfect evenness of ET that 
anything the slightest bit irregular sounds "out of tune".  I haven't heard 
Ed Foote's latest CD but I do have his "Beethoven in Temperaments".  I *do* 
like it and think it is more musical than anything else I have in my entire 
collection, playing the same pieces, but my impression of it was again, too 
bland.  Yet, I know that there were people who wrote and I heard say that it 
sounds "out of tune".

Below is a list of temperaments I use, aside from my much touted EBVT which I 
would use before I would use either of the temperaments Ed mentioned in his 
post (Young or Broadwood).  Only two of these are published and neither is in 
the "Big Red Book".  There are no "numbers" available (at this time).  I use 
my unique Tempered Octaves method for tuning the octaves with each of these.  
An FAC program would yield different results.

I believe that with understanding and practice that these tunings can be 
accomplished aurally, with the SAT (any model) and probably with the other 
ETD's available.  The ETD simply needs to be able to produce intervals of 
specified sizes and compare 2 intervals and reach an equal compromise.

*Modern Piano Temperaments*

Marpurg-Neidhardt Quasi Equal Temperament

1-0 Quasi Equal, Ultra VictorianTemperament (where no note in the F3-F4 range 
is
                          more than 1 cent deviant of theoretical ET) 

1-0 Temperament Transposed (for unusual situations where the player plays 
very 
                           hard and mostly Romantic styles.  It is the 
antidote for people 
                           who are used to pianos tuned in Reverse Well.)

1/8 Comma Meantone

1/8 Comma Modified Meantone

1/8 Comma Meantone with 1 pure 5th

1/8 Comma Meantone with alternative "Wolf" placement  (This one is used for 
the 
                           purposes as the 1-0 Temperament Transposed)

1/7 Comma Meantone

1/7 Comma Modified Meantone

1/7 Comma Meantone with 1 pure 5th

1/7 Comma Meantone with alternative "Wolf" placement  (This one is used for 
the 
                           purposes as the 1-0 Temperament Transposed)

I would also use the Vallotti Temperament (not Vallotti-Young) before I would 
choose the Young #1.

***********************

By the way, Ola, your description of how you use test blows to settle a 
string tells me that you are doing very high level work.

Perhaps a great tuning challenge can be done in your country.  I would 
present my EBVT with Tempered Octaves against the very best concert quality 
ET tuning that northern Europe has to offer.  Let the best musicians 
available and the audience decide which piano expresses music best.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin

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