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Re: [OM] pianos and lenses

Subject: Re: [OM] pianos and lenses
From: "Giles" <cnocbui@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 21:12:26 +0000
Forwarded message follows:

Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 14:30:05 -0600 (CST)
From: "Barry B. Bean" <bbbean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [OM] pianos and lenses

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 20:32:29 -0800 (PST), Joseph wrote:

>And strangely, piano tuners manage to tune to just intonation. I can

people figured out that just intonation doesn't work for keyboard
instruments centuries ago.  The possible tunings for keyboards, exclusive
of equal temperment, were well understood in the baroque era, and equal
temperment was added in the late baroque era, prompting Bach to compose the
Well-Tempered Clavier, a set of preludes and fugues in every key.

Having owned a harpsicord in the past, and currently owning a clavichord
that I tune myself, and having played piano for 24 years, I do know a
little about tuning a keyboard instrument.  Nobody tunes pianos to anything
other than equal temperment for general playing. earlier instruments are
sometimes tuned to earlier temperments.  If you use just intonation on a
keyboard, it will be rooted on some tone, and you cannot play anything
outside the major key of that tone.  This would rule out 990r more of the
piano literature from being played, and you could only play the most banal
melodies and simplistic pieces on it.  Even baroque players found just
intonation way too limiting, using other compromises different from equal
temperment instead.

Joseph

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