Temperaments and Jazz

[a.acker at comcast.net]

Dear Julie,

You will have to come up and visit next time I'm in my PA workshop for a while, and I'll give you the full temperament lecture series.   

First off, realize that the gross inharmonicity of the modern piano alters the effect of temperaments.  I have harpsichords and early pianos all tuned in appropriate temperaments.   It will change your life.

Now as to non equal temperaments in Jazz playing.   I can tell you a story about when I recorded a CD of 19th century songs with my tenor about ten years back.  The was when we still needed to go to recording studios, so I tuned the late 19th century piano there in a nonequal Victorian ear tuned temperament.    The recording engineer was reassured that I would put the piano back in ET after the week's recording sessions were over.

Well,   he started playing the piano during breaks, and a jazz group came into rehearse once before the piano was put back in ET.   To make a long story short, they LEFT the piano in the Victorian tuning,  and kept raving about it.

That said,   we don't know exactly what temperament would have been used for Beethoven, but most likely and ear tuned almost equal, with "slightly narrow fifths and slightly wide thirds".  

Finally, you CANNOT duplicate the sounds of any 19th century composers on a 20th century piano.  Can't do it, no matter how you tune it.   The instrument itself is a huge part of the formula.   

Now you know why I do what I do, and leave late 20th century pianos to jazz players.   Come up and play your Beethoven on a period Broadwood or Viennese piano.

Anne Acker