Phil, << ...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.>> I generally do the opposite: using 3rds and 6ths seems to be easier, faster, and more accurate than just 4ths and 5ths. (But you gotta do what works best for you.) However, when setting a quick temp for a pitch raise a couple of days ago, I used just 4ths and 5ths, did a 1 1/2 minute temperament and the 3rds/6ths sounded good. Sometimes I just don't know why I spend so *long* trying to set the "perfect" temperament. :-) <<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.>> Certainly, the more precise we are, the more better it will sound. From what you have written, it seems that you are taking your time and being more accurate, which would explain the better results. <<I realize this is not re-inventing the wheel, but to the aural tuners out there, do you expand your temperament and why.?.?>> I do expand the temperament, but I like to think of it as expanding it into the whole piano. What I typically do (if tuning ET) is set an F3-F4 temperament using 4:5 contiguous 3rds. Then, starting from C#4, down a 5th, then up a 3rd, then down a 5th again, up a 3rd.... I concentrate on 3rds because it is faster for me to hear the relative beat speeds than with 4ths/5ths. I do use 4ths/5ths a lot to check things out. After this octave is done, I usually tune down to the tenor break, checking with 4ths, 5ths, 3rds, 6ths and 10ths. I tune up using 4ths, 5ths, 3rds, and 10ths. I guess I generally do this up to C5. Any problems with the temperament show up at this point, and, yes, I do correct that if necessary, retuning any notes in the temp section. So, yes, I think that we all do some expansion of the temperament "octave" as we tune up and down. Though I have not used it much, the Baldassion/Sanderson approach looks good. Basically, you tune A4, then A3, then A2. The idea is that you can more accurately set your contiguous 3rds within two octaves rather than one, and everything else falls into place. John M. Formsma Blue Mountain, MS PTG Associate, Memphis Chapter mailto:jformsma@dixie-net.com
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