for your (radical turn)

[Jason Kanter]

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HT =3D Historic (or Historical) Temperaments.=20
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Andrew & Rebeca Anderson=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2004 6:37 AM
  Subject: Re: for your (radical turn)


  Cy,
  I used to think that about WTs (well temperaments, what is HT?) but my =
experience has changed the perception.  Originally, I tuned my wife's =
baby to Valloti-Young and it was OK, less bland than ET but nothing =
particularly interesting.  We tried a WT suggested by Paul Bailey and =
then compared it to others on paper and went for Barne's Bach WT.  We =
like it.  The Wurlizter baby sings.  She plays everything from pre-Bach =
to Katchaturian.  ( I think the Katchaturian Toccata would be really =
powerful in modified Meantone.)  I'm expecting to tune a square grand =
that hasn't been tuned since it was re-strung (Brown & Allen, ten years =
ago) in modified meantone. =20
  The more remote keys aren't merely dissonant in WTs, they have vocal =
qualities.  When Beethoven shifts gears in a piece you can hear the =
vibrato come out.  The drive to 'perfect' tuning to the modern ET was =
more industry driven than artist driven from what I read.

  Check them out, you'll like them,
  Andrew
  Las Cruces, NM

  At 12:24 PM 3/13/2004 -0600, you wrote:

    Do you always tune "Representative Victorian", or do you pick a =
different HT based on the piano and its players?  I've heard HTs can =
make spinets, in particular, sound better.
    =20
    I've always thought an HT would be great for beginners, who aren't =
going to get into more than two sharps or flats for a couple of years.  =
May as well let 'em enjoy those thirds!
    =20
    --Cy--

      ----- Original Message -----=20

      From: Farrell=20

      To: Pianotech=20

      Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 11:58 AM

      Subject: Re: for your (radical turn)


      Last week I tuned a 1980s S&S M for a new client. He just moved =
down here from Manhattan. He has always had "Steinway" technicians =
service his piano. He "warned" me that he has had arguments about =
whether some notes were "in tune" with technicians in the past.



      I raised the pitch 25 cents to A440 and tuned it to the =
"Representative Victorian" temperament on my Verituner. He sat down and =
banged out a movement from the Appassionata while I packed up my tools =
(and watched in amazement and awe). After he was done, he said "piano is =
perfect - never sounded so good". I'm not really sure if my tuning was =
that good (the piano did tune up well - I was unusually happy with it), =
if he just liked the temperament, or if his past service personnel were =
sub-par.



      FWIW, I pretty much only tune in ET on request - and that is only =
a very few pianos.



      Terry Farrell



      ----- Original Message -----=20

      From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>

      To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>

      Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 12:18 PM

      Subject: Re: for your (radical turn)


      > I can echo Ed here...      yet I still struggle with an =
unbeleivalbe=20

      > apathy I find amoung so many of the pianists around here. Their=20

      > reactions to HT's,  when they react at all... are always as Ed =
describes=20

      > below.... but getting them to actually DO something with this =
new=20

      > <<toy>> is another matter.=20

      >=20

      > I have one Professor who insists on having his Young Chang piano =
tuned=20

      > to a milde well... but only because its never sounded good in =
ET... but=20

      > this same guy doesnt want to work up a program based on HT's... =
nor=20

      > spend any time exposing his students to the potential.

      >=20

      > I just know that sooner or later something will spark and the =
ball will=20

      > get rolling... but the basic GAFFER attitude I find amoung young =


      > pianists and faculty at the University level sometimes astounds =
me. =20

      > They have their ciriculum... and thats what life is about..  .

      >=20

      > Nice turn tho Ed

      >=20

      > RicB

      >=20

      > A440A@aol.com wrote:

      >=20

      > >Bill writes:=20

      > ><< Now what was the subject, temperaments? <G> >>

      > >

      > >Humm, now that you mention it.... =20

      > >    I had a new customer call me to tune a Steinway M =
yesterday.  Said that=20

      > >he had decided to sell it and wanted it to sound its best.  =
Told me to do=20

      > >whatever I thought would make it most attractive. So,  I tuned =
it in a Broadwood.=20

      > >He sat down and played it.  His wife (also a musician and =
songwriter), came=20

      > >downstairs and stood there.  Hint of rapture in the air...

      > >    After a piece or two, he looked up and said, at the same =
time his wife=20

      > >did, "This piano has never sounded this good!" Not sure they =
want to part with=20

      > >it, now. =20

      > >    Last week, a studio owner also had me tune, but asked to =
return to ET for=20

      > >an overdub session that was going in E maj.  He told me that =
since he had=20

      > >become used to the Coleman 11, the piano just sounds out of =
tune to him in ET and=20

      > >wants to return to WT as soon as possible. =20

      > >   Like I said last century,  this stuff will just not go away! =
 Politicians=20

      > >will, but not the WTT's  (well-tempered tuners). =20

      > >Regards,=20

      > >

      > >

      > >

      > > =20

      > >

      >=20

      > _______________________________________________

      > pianotech list info: =
https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

      >=20

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