[pianotech] Historic temperaments and modern scaling

[Ed Foote]

 Julia writes: 

       >>Does anyone have any thoughts on tuning a historic temperament on a modern scaled pianos? When historic temps are tuned in a modern piano, is it the string's nodes that cause a difference in the sound of the tuning as compared to an older scale design?<<

    I don't think so.  Most temperaments require no more than three cents deviation, and this is not enough to change the inharmonic value sufficiently for humans to tell the difference. 


>>Inside old uprights I see things such as: 1888 patented scale. It's a reminder to me that a historic tuning will probably sound better on this one than a newer piano. 

It is my belief, and the vast majority of my customers, and a continually growing number of techs, that the non-equal temperaments sound better than ET on any piano. The scaling differences are insignificant compared with the temperament differences.  

>>What temperaments are best on old uprights like this? Certainly not a Valotti, this temp would be too old. Right? What temperaments were being tuned say c. 1900? <<

    The determination of what sounds "best" will be made by the choice of music, and the values of the listener.  Piano tuners listen differently than the musical public.  A Young temperament on an older upright sounds great, to me, and to listeners. I had one on my 1892 Steinway upright, and Patti Griffin loved the sound of it, purchased the piano, and told her musical director that it was a sound that she felt really drawn to.  (John Hiatt had the same response, a month later).  Both will be using non-ET in their recording studios.

 
>>Have Yamahas and Steinways been rescaled for E.T.?...or have these makers kept the old scaling for those that prefer historic tunings?

I think ET shows up flaws in scaling more than WT's.  An analogy would be that high gloss shows defects in the surface much more than semi-gloss.  With ET, everything is not only lined up to a mathematical concept,(not a musical one),  but it is already out of tune, and when forced into such a rigid grid, scaling flaws become more obvious. 
Regards, 
Ed Foote RPT   

  

 
 
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