Feedback or Controversy on Bach/Lehman's temperament ?

[Avery]

Hi Ed,

At 09:51 AM 4/12/2006, you wrote:
>Avery  writes:
>
><<  Move a few to something like a Young and don't say anything about
>
>it. Of course, in my position, it would be simple to retune if anyone
>
>complained. >>
>
>           I sure wish I had some forte pianos up here!

I wish you had the Bösendorfer there also! :-D I've had holy hell trying to
stabilize it and the upper treble sounds like s***. IMO. But as far as I
know right now, everything went well last night. They even ran out of
programs because more people came than usual! 260+ as compared to the
usual 50-100 people!

Avery

>           I used to use a Young for 
> introductions, and the rejection rate was
>higher than now, since I began with the Moore and Co. or Broadwood tunings.
>If the biggest third isn't over 18 cents, the vast majority of pianists don't
>notice the piano as being unequal, but, rather, 
>having increased resonance and
>clarity.   As I said, the Moore and Co. on a Steinway D is a very "live"
>sound, but the subtle shading of the third's 
>widths is never detected as a pitch
>difference from ET.  Tuners and musicians listen 
>to a performance differently,
>and the musicians ain't countin' beats.
>      There is a threshold people have to hearing this type of tuning
>dissonance, after which expressiveness becomes 
>harshness.  Optimum tuning for Mozart
>can be heavy if used for Ravel, ( 
>IMHO).  Optimum for Ravel will usually be on
>the wimp side for Mozart or Bach.    I think mellower pianos can carry off
>higher degrees of tempering without harshness, and certain audiences'
>expectations will affect how the music is felt.
>
>
>
>Ed Foote RPT
>http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
>www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
>