[ExamPrep] Temperament

[John Formsma]

I'm of the opinion that one will greatly benefit by tuning with
contiguous M3s as the starting point.  Much has been written about
that, so I won't duplicate it.

This is not to say one can't tune well without contiguous M3s, but you
have to be right on every time.  And, if you don't have check points
along the way, you'll have to start over from the beginning  to find
the errors.

If you learn how to build the foundation correctly every time, you can
construct a tuning on *any* piano correctly...every time!

I learned a good sequence several years ago on the PIanotech list from
Howard Rosen RPT. It is self-checking.  That is, it establishes
several check points as you go.  Saves you from having to restart from
the beginning if you have an error at the end of the sequence. I might
have modified it a bit, but this is what I use when tuning ET.  (And I
scored 100 in the temperament on my test this summer.)

A4, A3, F3, F4, C#4.  You have to work with the last four notes to get
the contiguous 3rds correctly.  Once you have done that (and it is
worth learning how)...

A#3 from F3 (check with F4 to make sure P5 beats slower than the P4,
but you should have already done this when tuning F3-F4).

F#3 from C#4 (check to make sure M3 ascends properly.  I.e., F3-A3,
then F#3-A#3.  This a good check point.  If you don't have evenly
ascending M3s, you've done something wrong.  Either F#3 is wrong, or
else C#4 is.  If C#4 is, now is the time to correct it...recheck
contiguous M3s.).

B3 from F#3

G#3 from C#4 (at this point there are two chromatic m3s to check if
you use m3s. I.e., F3-G#3 and F#3-A3.)

Now tune C4.  Here you have several check points.  You can check it by
at least four ways.  By F3 (a P5).  By F4 (a P4).  By descending M3s
(A3-C#4 and G#3-C4).  And by ascending m3s (A3-C4 and A#3-C#4).

>From here, tune G3 from C4.  Now check to see how G3-B3 fits in with
the rest of the M3s tuned so far.  If the M3s ascend evenly, you're
done with everything between F3-C#4.  And if you've set everything
correctly, the rest of the notes up to F4 are a breeze.

If you need to correct anything, it will show up, and you'll have to
backtrack or quickly run through your sequence to find the error.
Some times I'll find errors that are identified by notes from D4-F4.
The more check points you have, the easier it is to identify and
correct.

One other positive thing about this temperament is that I can tune
with P4s and P5s, then check with M3s, m3s, and M6s.  I find tuning by
slower beating intervals (P4, P5)  easier for me than listening to the
faster beating intervals (M3, M6, etc.)

Hope this helps.

JF

On 9/4/07, Alan Barnard <tune4u at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> I agree with these comments, completely.
>
>
> If you did want to experiment with a change, how about tuning the so-called
> European Small temperament which is A4 to A3 with a sequence as you describe
> (down a 5th to D, up a 4th to G; down a 5th to C, up 4th to F, Down 5th to
> A#, up 4th to D#--then up ANOTHER fourth to G#; down a 5th to C#, up 4th to
> F#; down 5th to B, up to E; then down a 5th to A, compare it to the octave,
> and hope you aren't more than, say, 37 cents off!
>
>
> I think I have that right, dredgeing deep in the memory, and I believe it
> has been used by many S&S C&A folks—including Franz Mohr—for a long time.
> So, obviously, you can develop some checks and make it go.
>
>
> Then again, those C&A guys are pretty much tuning Bs and Ds over and over
> and over and they probably have the sounds of those temperaments engrained
> in the brain, indelibly. Translating all of that to 60's PA Stark spinet
> might just be a bit of a challenge. Then again, in such a piano, would it
> reallllllly matter how the temperament goes? Ha.
>
> Alan Barnard
> Salem, MO