<HTML>In a message dated 2/21/02 10:22:15 AM Central Standard Time, rscott@wwnet.net (Robert Scott) writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">So my question is, which is more important to you when you tune an historical temperament - the average pitch of the whole piano or the absolute pitch of A</BLOCKQUOTE> This is a good and important question especially since I know of one HT practitioner who absolutely will *NOT* start a temperament on anything but C4 read at C5 at 0.0.  No matter what I say, no matter how many times I ask, "What does 523.3 have to do with anything?", the absolute revulsion and physical reaction to a C being anything but 0.0 is the overriding factor. My answer is this question is that the A should be tuned to it's usual standard, 440, with a tolerance of 1 hertz or 4 cents.  For the most part, I like my A4 to be as close to 440 as I can get it in any professional setting. Now, the goal of normalizing for average pitch is important to consider as well and I do keep it in mind, especially when tuning the EBVT.  In fact, I usually have my average pitch closer to theoretical ET than most calculated ET programs, far closer.  But most commonly used HT's will fall far closer to standard pitch for the average note when A is at 0 cents deviation than when C is.  I would therefore recommend that the usual way to publish this information be with A at 0 cents deviation.  This is the way that Owen Jorgensen has chosen, the way he recommended to Dr. Sanderson that it be done and for the reasons I mentioned. However, when there is the space and opportunity to present any given temperament in different ways, why not present all 3 alternatives?  You are a computer expert, so shifting these figures around would be a simple task, I would imagine.  I have several new versions of Jason Kanter's graphs waiting in the wings to be put on my website.  I am really impressed at how quickly he can present the information in different ways. By the way, I treat *all* tunings as if they were a pitch change, whether starting on pitch or not.  When I finish my tuning, I actually like to have the tuning be what I intend, not what I wish it were. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> </HTML>