Hi Dan, no I don't think it's an illusion. Tuning ET is very hard,
because the major thirds are already right at the limit of what the ear
will accept (many would say, beyond) so if they're just the tiniest bit
too wide it sounds dreadful. But with meantone temperaments, the major
thirds can be pure, or not so pure, but as long as they're somewhere
between pure and ET it sounds OK.
You tune a harpsichord in ET? Now that really is a sin. Try it in 1/4
comma, and play Byrd, then tell me you like it in ET.
Best wishes,
Martin
Daniel Winheld wrote:
Absolutely the best procedure; what I now use. I set frets by
calculation only once, about 30 years ago. Came out so bad, I ran
crying back to "EQUAL" (yecchh!) until about a month or so ago- not
hard at all with a good tuner (and years of training, tuning my
wife's harpsichord.)
The cigar will always be a temporally unstable phenomenon; what with
the nature of ambient humidity, temperature, the whims of organic
visceral remains under tension, and of course one's own varying
perceptual state. Nevertheless, I find tuning to go faster & more
easily in 1/4 comma meantone, and the instrument itself seems to hold
the tuning better- now that has to be an illusion.
Dan
I can't see using a fret calculator for real world tuning, tune your
open strings in the temperament you wish and then set your frets
using the tuning box.
If you wish to tweak the open strings, tune the top string, then set
each fret with the box.
Then tune the double octave to the top string, set those frets to the
box. You will notice that the frets do not make exactly straight
lines, which is normal--and shows that the fret calculator won't work.
Then adjust the open strings anyway you like. You have to have the
double octaves in tune or you will really hear it.
This is the only system that will give you the actual, as opposed to
theoretical values, as it will compensate for drift--unless you tune by ear.
You will find, of course, that you will either have to choose between
sharps and flats, especially for the first fret, or use tastini.
The fret caluclator will get you close, but still a few millimeters
>from cigar.
Have fun!
dt
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