<HTML><HTML> In a message dated 4/2/04 6:16:44 PM, A440A@aol.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">mild WT's stay "in tu= ne" longer, and the customers of mine that use them agree. These temperaments are already somewhat "organi= c", as opposed to the scientific and rigid ET. </BLOCKQUOTE> "Organic?"  In what manner could one possibly perceive one temperament= as more "organic" than another?  You lost me here!  Unless you'= re referring to what's getting knee deep in this discussion!   (h= eheheh...) Referring to ET as rigid and scientific suggests to me the following:  = When you tune ET there are a multitude of tests and reference notes you can= use to ascertain whether you have deviated from the ideal placement of each= note.  (Very scientific...)  With non-ETs there are fewer ways = to check your results.  If I'm wrong about this, correct me, but perha= ps one of the reasons you feel ET is rigid and scientific is the fact that y= ou can double check every note up and down the keyboard and any note that is= not rigidly where it ought to be sticks out in the checks.  The more = "organic" approach might be "sounds good, must be good/ no way to check it, = so...there it is".  My final check of my bass octaves, after having tuned them to my ear and che= cking them with a 3/6 or 3/10 to ascertain that they are where they should b= e, is to listen to descending M3rds, then M10ths, and finally m7ths.  = This often brings to my attention an anomaly, whereby I realize that I need = to make an adjustment.  Of course, these descending parallel intervals= only work in ET.  How do you to check your bass octaves?  I'm sure that there must be ways to check not only your temperament, but you= r octaves with various non-ETs, but if there are, would someone share them w= ith me?  Because, frankly I like the sound of a mild non-ET but withou= t more tools to check myself along the way, I wouldn't attempt it aurally.&n= bsp; (I've tried various temperaments with my ETDs.) BTW, as far as the original question goes, I agree that ET tunings are more = likely to sound in tune longer than their non-ET counterparts.  But th= at's assuming that the pianist is playing in keys other than C and G all the= time. Tom Sivak Chicago</HTML>