more on this temperament thing

[David Love]

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A creative analogy but not particularly meaningful to me.  For those who =
want an adventure every time they modulate to a different key, then HT =
might just be for them.  For those who don't, then ET might be a better =
fit.  I would not go so far as to call ET bland.  I was simply =
commenting on my own experience with jazz musicians who had played =
around with both types of tuning.  Though the HT's had a certain novel =
interest at first, for most of them that novelty wore off after awhile.  =
One pianist in particular was talking about chromatic chord progressions =
and how with each chromatic move the quality of the chord changed so =
dramatically that it altered his intent.  Ensemble players have also =
complained.  Many violinists already consider the piano the devil's =
instrument because of the impure intervals, and when those intervals =
become even more "ripe" in the more distant keys, as in various HT's, =
that greater impurity often drives them nuts.  At any rate, I was trying =
to avoid a discussion of what's better.   What's better is what the =
musician wants.  I try not to impose my own values on anyone.  I =
generally tune in ET but I freely discuss the merits of HT's to those =
interested and will tune that way if they want.  That being said, if the =
pianist needs an altered tuning to create excitement, he should practice =
more.

David Love

----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Billbrpt@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: October 20, 2001 8:48 AM
  Subject: Re: more on this temperament thing


  In a message dated 10/20/01 10:27:57 AM Central Daylight Time, =
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net (David Love) writes:=20



    My point is that for most jazz pianists that I know, an altered V =
chord in=20
    the key of C should have the same character as and altered V chord =
in the=20
    key of Ab.  Seems simple enough
  .=20

  26 years ago, when I was a senior in college, I spent the year abroad =
in France.  The group of other college students I traveled with went =
first to Paris.  We all were taken to the famous boulevard called =
"L'Avenue des Champs Elys=E9es".  The Arc de Triomphe, all the exquisite =
shops and other places to see that were new and different to us were not =
what attracted a sizable number of our group.=20

  What place was it that most of the group wanted to visit?  The Mc =
Donald's restaurant.  Why?  Just to see if the hamburgers there tasted =
the *same* as they do in the US.  And to their astonished glee and =
surprise, they did.  They talked about that fact at length.=20

  I declined to go because I already knew what to expect and didn't want =
the same thing that had already been served 100 million times before.  =
Of course, I was viewed as the *oddball* but I didn't care.  I selected =
a pastry shop that had items I had never seen nor tasted before.  Most =
of the other group thought my choice was *wierd*.  It took them much =
longer, after they had settled down into the university town (where =
there was no Mc Donald's) before they discovered the infinite delights =
of a French Pastry shop.=20

  To some people, the same bland consistency, day in and day out is what =
they want.  It is what they are comfortable with.  Others want variety =
and adventure.  In music, Jazz or otherwise, my belief has always been =
that there should be a *reason* to be in a particular key and there =
should be a *reason* to modulate.  What would be the purpose of playing =
in any particular key or even modulating if there is no distinction =
between them?=20

  To me, the choice of keys and modulating while in ET, particularly in =
the Jazz medium gives about as much satisfaction as choosing the Mc =
Donald's further down the street rather than the one close by just for a =
change of scenery.=20

  Bill Bremmer RPT=20
  Madison, Wisconsin=20

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