Re: [Harp-L] Re: Enharmonics

[IcemanLE@xxxxxxx]

Piano can be tuned any way you desire - equal, just, altered, etc. However,  
all pundits aside and all exceptions noted, the reality is that, for most of  
us, ET is the norm for most of the music we will deal with in the Western  
culture. Equal temperament allows the piano to play in any key and have all the  
chords sound "pretty darn good". When piano is combined w/other instruments, 
the  other instruments will "bend" towards the equal temperament in their 
playing -  whether consciously or not. It is a common ground by which all 
instruments  can play together nicely.
 
Harmonica tunings have to choose between nice sounding chords and nice  
sounding notes. Some tunings try to find a middle ground with the least amount  of 
ugliness for both. However, the harmonica will never be able to truly satisfy  
both camps with one tuning.
 
Blues players using lots of chording and double stops prefer Just  Intonation 
to smooth out these sounds. The fact that the 3rd or 7th scale  degrees are a 
bit flat sounding works well with the blues, as true pitch is not  as 
imperative as in other forms of music. Actually, to be a bit our of tune is  part of 
the blues heritage.
 
 
In a message dated 9/4/2008 7:58:12 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
runningharp@xxxxxxxxx writes:

How the  piano is tuned? Equal? Just?

Can we relate it to the harmonica tunings  somehow?





**************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel 
deal here.      
(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)