tuning HT's by ear

[A440A@aol.com]

Charles writes: 
<< Sometimes I wonder why we even bother with ET on a modern piano. We're
forcing a temperament that only has value as a scientific exercise on an
instrument that departs so much from ideal theory that we have to fudge
the tuning just to make it work. The modern piano is probably equally as
poor for ET as it is for HT's. >>

Gee,  I gotta agree and disagree at the same time!  

   ET has a characteristic "sound" to it, that is worth something, and reason 
enough for its use.  It has value far beyond scientific.  While we can point 
out that at some level of examination, there is no such thing as perfect equal 
temperament,  I think the deviations from the ideal are academic.  Human 
hearing and perception allows significant (from a "scientific" point of view) 
departure from equal without the loss of equality in the keys.  As long as all 
thirds are within 1 cent of each other,  virtually EVERY listener will consider 
the temperament to be equal and "even". 
   That characteristic shimmer that comes from a piano in which all thirds 
are 13.7 cents wide is a hallmark sound and I think there is a lot of music that 
benefits from it.  Not only that, it provides a universal place that often 
allows us to make our money with the least amount of risk, that is also worth 
something.  Many musicians have told me that they want the piano to be "inert" 
when they are being accompanied by it.   This is what I heard from Edgar Meyer, 
possibly one of the best virtuoso bass players in the world.  For this, ET is 
unparalleled.  
    Others, especially pianists that have become accustomed to the texture of 
WT,  find ET to be bland and uninteresting.  For them, it is a poor 
compromise and lacks musical qualities that they have become attached to.  Others have 
spoken about how harsh and buzzy ET sounds to them after becoming accustomed 
to WT.
   This morning's tuning was a case in point.  A Kawai KG-5D that I have kept 
in Coleman or Broadwood for the last several years is to be used this Sunday 
for accompanying a clarinet. The pianist, from out of town, had played the 
piano yesterday and requested the piano be tuned.  Even though the customer had 
me tune it in March, I went out there and found that the middle had gone sharp 
and the octaves across the break were ragged.  I also decided to change it 
back to ET for this weekend. 
  After tuning it, my customer played it for a moment and asked, "Is this 
right?  It sure sounds edgy and jangly".  I told her to wait until her guest  
came downstairs and played it.  When she did, she beamed and said, "Ah,  this 
sounds beautiful!"  My customer looked at me with raised eyebrows and then I 
explained that she was accustomed to one thing, her friend,  another.  There is no 
right or wrong, it is a matter of taste. (she asked me to return next week 
and move it back into WT).  

≥≥The modern piano is probably equally as
poor for ET as it is for HT's. >> 
  
  I think it is equally good for both!  And I don't think stretch really 
favors one or the other.  A widely stretched WT can light up a piano for concerto 
work, and a minimally stretched WT can give wonderful mellowness to Mozart 
sonatas, it is a matter of taste.   I view stretch as optimizing the interplay of 
the octaves for a given use.  If you want the higher partials of the lower 
bass to really reinforce the fundamentals of the middle section, you gotta 
stretch'em to do that.  If your customer plays a lot of single octaves with the 
left hand, less stretch gives a fuller sound down there.   An astute technician 
will take all this into consideration and make appropriate choices.  
   All of the above is still less important than the quality of the 
unisons.......
Regards,  

Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html