ET- Expanded Temperament..kinda long.

[David Love]

Until I bought a SATIII (last year), and was tuning aurally, I used a 2
octave temperament starting by setting contiguous thirds from A2 to A4.  It
offers a nice framework in which to fit the other intervals.  I used that
system because it automatically forced me to adjust for the stretch in any
given piano.  In a spinet, for example, in order for the series to maintain
a 4:5 ratio throughout, the rate must slow down a bit, unless you are
artificially expanding the octave (I realize this may generate some
controversy).  Though I am currently using an ETD, in a concert or recording
situation, I will still begin my tuning from A2 to A4 and check aurally the
contiguous thirds, double octave etc., to be sure it's what I want.
Adjustments I make now usually incorporate the Double octave beat function.
I almost always find myself narrowing it anywhere from .2 to .5, depending
on the piano.  Anyway, that's another subject.

David Love


----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Bondi" <tito@PhilBondi.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: September 26, 2001 10:35 AM
Subject: ET- Expanded Temperament..kinda long.


> Hello all.
>
> Recently, I have begun to expand my temperament octave to be an octave and
a
> half. My temperament runs from F3 to F4, but recently, I have begun to
> 'expand' it to include all the notes above F4 up to and including C5.
>
> Why?
>
> Well, experimenting with the best tuning I can give, and hopefully,
letting
> the piano tell me how it wants to sound.
>
> For those still listening, let me explain how I am 'expanding' the
> temperament octave..oh..and by the way, if this is old news to some, my
> apologies..you can delete now..but I will have a question after this is
all
> explained..
>
> The first note I tune in the temperament octave is A3, tuned from A4..next
I
> tune D4 to A3..and now I am paying *alot* more attention to the D4-A4 5th
> instead of just the A3-D4 4th..perhaps I should have been paying more
> attention for awhile..that's another subject..
>
> Next, I tune G3 to D4..once I get that 5th where I want it, I tune G4 to
G3,
> paying close attention to how fast the D4-G4 4th wants to beat..not too
> fast, but not too slow, either.
>
> Then I play D4-G4-A4 simultaniously..if this is sounding smooth, I
> resume..If there's some beating going on, I correct it 'if it's musically
> possible'..now do you see where I'm going?
>
> If you know the F3-F4 pattern, then you have a pretty good idea of what
> comes next as far as pattern and testing..oh..testing..since I have been
> using this Expanded Temperament, I find myself not testing 6ths and 3rds
> unless, while I'm setting the temperament, something is obviously
> wrong..usually with me, it's the G#3-C4 third..that tends to be fast if I
> have a 'mistake' somewhere.
>
> Anyway, when I get done with this F3-C5 temperament, I am finding that the
> overall sound of the piano is a little sweeter than if my temperament was
> just the 1 octave testing 3rds and 6ths along the way.
>
> I am still testing 6ths and inside 3rds in the Bass.
>
> The rest of the tenor and the treble section is tuned to single octaves,
> listening to double octaves after C6 but not tuning to the double octave
> like I use to do.
>
> I realize this is not re-inventing the wheel, but to the aural tuners out
> there, do you expand your temperament and why.?.?
>
> Phil
>
>
>
>
>