Equal Temperament, Oh really, what else is news?

Billbrpt@AOL.COM Billbrpt@AOL.COM
Fri, 22 Feb 2002 09:27:50 EST


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In a message dated 2/22/02 7:44:40 AM Central Standard Time, 
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net (David Love) writes:


> Mr. Bremmer,
> blindly confident in his opinions, has no idea what my position is in this.
> Though I personally prefer ET,

I've always known what your position is, these are the same words everyone 
uses who really wishes the whole subject had never been brought to light.

<<My purpose in bringing this up, by the way, was not to attack WT or push ET,
it was simply to offer information that might shed more light on what could
be an interesting discussion but tends to get rather boorish>>

Then where is the "information"?  You announce that someone out there has 
been doing some research that indicates what I know to be impossible but do 
not come forth with it.  I think this is because you already know it isn't 
true.  It is a grasping at straws attempt to "prove" something that you and 
admittedly the majority want to believe and always did believe but now have 
heard is not really true.

My own observations continually confirm that the majority, a very high 
percentage, like 95% cannot today tune a true ET without the aid of an ETD 
and even then, do not always succeed.  I'd really like to see how this fellow 
can "prove" that anyone was really tuning a strict ET, knowing that it takes 
all distinctions from the keys and actually wanting that effect over 200 
years ago.

I have never said that I, personally believe in a conspiracy as such.  At 
least not the kind where a small group in a smoke filled room decide to take 
control.  ET has always been a business decision.  If everyone knew about an 
infinite number of possibilities, who could ever make a choice?  How are you 
going to teach a factory worker about all of that?  Just teach them a 4ths & 
5ths temperament sequence and whatever they come up with, that's "the 
temperament", drop the word "equal".

Scientists and engineers couldn't possibly manage the infinite range of 
possibilities either.  Therefore, piano scale designs are modeled on ET, what 
else?  Electronic keyboards are made according to theoretical ET, who would 
ever know about or want anything else?  Only after some time did makers of 
electronic keyboards ever offer any alternative and only because they were 
hearing that the demand is there.  It took some time to realize that it takes 
more than a digitally recorded sampled sound to make a keyboard get anywhere 
close to what instruments really sound like when being played by real, live 
musicians.  Today, the pioneers in this are able to adjust their temperament 
on the fly just as real musicians are.  It's a very complex process.

ET is not a conspiracy in the usual sense but the effect has been and still 
is the same as if it were.  I *never* once have mentioned the word 
"conspiracy" to one of my customers nor have I ever said that I believed 
there is or was one, only that some people perceive it this way.  I *rarely* 
talk about temperament with my own customers and *never* talk about what I 
know to be the high incidence of Reverse Well.

 I'm afraid many people who read what I write here must think I go around 
talking about this stuff all the time but the fact is, I almost never talk 
about temperament and its intricacies to anyone except other piano 
technicians and a very few, select musicians.  I rarely direct my customers 
to my website, it's generally not directed at them.  I service the pianos in 
my clientel much the way any other professional piano technician would with 
the exception of using my own ideas about temperament and octaves.

For all those who sometimes describe what I write as a "diatribe" or "ranting 
and raving", you haven't a clue.  From none of you have I ever read a clear 
argument, mostly just one-liners.  "But I *like* ET, it is the accepted way, 
don't rock the boat, don't try to say that everyone is a lousy tuner except 
you."  When I see a good argument for ET, I'll say so but I haven't seen one 
yet and I know of very, very few people who can actually tune it.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin
 <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> 

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