Re: "well-tempered"?

[Pete Rushefsky <klezbanjo...>]

Yeah us string players who play chords know all about this.  Because of 
subtleties in ratios between harmonics, an "evenly tempered" instrument-- e.g., 
tune each note exactly to what a metronone says it should be-- might not sound 
great when you're playing chords.  Why banjos can sound great in one key but 
may sound out of tune in another.  Especially effects plucky sounding 
instruments like banjos, tsimbls and especially harpsichords, where there have 
been many treatises written on the issue.  THere are a bunch of different 
tuning systems that optimize particular keys.  Here's a couple of sites that 
introduce the concept:
 http://users.bestweb.net/~rmp/
http://www.i-way.co.uk/~storrs/jsw/English/Tuning.html
  Robert Cohen <rlcm17 (at) hotmail(dot)com> wrote: Last week, in response that 
started with an inquiry about "Etz Harimon" (one 
of my absolute favorite Israeli folk songs, fwtw), Roger Reid charmingly 
signed his post this way:

Roger "My Piano and my Tsimbl are Well Tempered, not Equally Tempered" Reid

I'm puzzled: The Harvard Dictionary of Music, in its discussion of Bach's 
"Well-Tempered Clavier," says "the name refers to the then novel system of 
equal temperament." So what's the difference?--and Roger, what did you mean 
by this playful signature?

(What *should* we call these riffs that some folks, esp. George R., insert 
in their signatures, btw?)

--Robert "I'm staying as even-tempered as I can" Cohen




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