Come on, Martyn, did you ever give it a try? If so and you didn't like it,
fine, let it rest. If you didn't try it but think it's imposible to tune MT
because of the compromises you cannot solve on paper, fine, don't try it and
let it rest. Others enjoy their sonorous MT lutes, or out-of-tune lutes as
you might call them. For my job it's neccecary to play non-ET temperaments.
I happen to find the different shades of MT to work well on my lutes, I even
like them! The hard bits are not so hard once you find a work around that
makes you happy. I can live with tastini and with avoiding wrong thirds.
This weekend I have to play 1/6 comma meantone in a Fasch cantata (F-major),
a Bach cantata (F-major) and a Graupner concerto (G-major). There's a
problem with d-sharps in the Graupner. I've opted for E-flats as they abound
in the Bach and Fasch. So, I play B-major chords in Graupner without thirds.
No big deal. There's a few notes in the bass line I have to skip as well.
Luckily there's a fretless bass next to me. The Bach has some a-flats as
well as g-sharps, another practical problem for which I've chosen a
practical solution. To me, that's a musician's life: finding practical
solutions for practical problems. If your solution is keeping your lute in
ET, fine, let it rest.
How do you cope with the inescapable fact that the chromatic and diatonic
intervals are different on the different tuned courses?
<<
Do your math: MT is a regular temperament. Unlike Valotti, Werckmeister,
Sorge or any other of the scourges of us lute players. Irregular
temperaments have irregular fifths, those cause headaches on fretted
instruments. That's where I chose a regular temperamennt, be it some shade
of MT or ET, whatever comes closest, and avoid the notes that are too much
out of tune with the organ/harpsichord.
David
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David van Ooijen
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.davidvanooijen.nl
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