Dear Colleagues
This evening Tim Foster is presenting to the Washington DC Chapter a presentation about what unequal tuning does for the meeting. It will be on Zoom and I'm sure he'd be happy for anyone interested to join.
In May with Steinway Artist from Italy, Adolfo Barabino, we will be giving a similar presentation and demonstration to a session of the UK PTA Convention.
In our experiences on both sides of the Atlantic, unequal tuning does important things, both for the music and also for the sound of the piano, which becomes sweeter, clearer and louder, so with more dynamic range.
In preparation for the PTA event last evening I did also a video demonstration which might be helpful for the Chapter meeting this evening The tuning of pianos in equal and unequal temperaments
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| The tuning of pianos in equal and unequal temperaments |
| Demonstrating why the frequencies of unequally tuned pianos are more harmonious than standard equal temperament. People promoting 432Hz tuning are simply looking at lowering the frequencies of the disturbing beat frequencies of intervals which should be pure but they're mistaken. It's not whether the instrument is tuned to 432Hz or 440Hz that matters but the intervals between the notes. |
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In this I compare the effects upon the instrument and the solidity of the sound with equal tempered and pure major thirds. Tim and I have found common ground with a preference for Kirnberger III appropriately tuned (it cannot be done by standard tuning apps on phones in the normal way), and the reason for this is a balance between perfect thirds in keys where fifths are tempered and perfect fifths where thirds are tempered, leading to a colourful spectrum of sounds in modulation between keys which largely accord with the historic documentation of key characteristics Musical Key Characteristics
| Wmich |
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| Musical Key Characteristics |
| A History of Key Characteristics in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries. UMI Research Press (1983). |
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which are not imaginary but which are really audible.
Best wishes
David P
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David Pinnegar BSc ARCS
Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead, Sussex, UK
+44 1342 850594
"High Definition" Tuning
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