Just tuning

[A440A@aol.com]

Greetings, 

David wrote:   
<<  They brought a tuner who tuned (they brought their own piano) the 
>piano to a Just tuning. <snip> did get a chance to play the 
>piano the next day.   I've got to tell you I couldn't get used to beatless 
>thirds...really sounded weird.    Is this suppose to be the "sweet" sound?

Israel replies: 
No it isn't. It doesn't work on the high-tension modern piano - the effect 
is distorted by high inharmonicity and by the weakness of the middle 
overtones relative to the fundamental. Which is why I think that people who 
tune modern pianos to Just Intonation or meantones are nuts.  

 
      We should remember that David wrote "Just" tuning.  Just intonation is 
not Meantone tuning.  I have heard Just tunings before that seemed incredibly 
limiting for what I got, but in that one key, things could sound really nice.  
As there is little commercial return from these tunings, I haven't pursued 
them as much as others that I can sell.   
      As to a distorted effect of a just interval on a modern piano,  I can't 
agree.  I have often tuned a Kirnberger III on a piano and the key of C 
didn't sound distorted by its Just third.  It sounded very consonant and far 
removed from the tension of the more remote keys.  It was certainly different, but 
seems to better fit the music of the 1700's than most others.  
Regards,
 
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html