100 Seconds: Temperament Test
Do your ears detect the two tunings?
Here is a short video I just uploaded that should hopefully awaken your ears to the idea of different temperaments, or tunings. (From the episode on tuning, Dec. 22’)
Bach’s music was most likely never in equal temperament— the way pianos (and computers) are tuned today.
Kellner's Bach is one of hundreds of non-equal temperaments I chose at random to demonstrate the entirely different nature of unequal tunings. This is what is meant by Bach’s “Well-Tempered” clavier: each key, each harmony, has its own personality.
With music today almost exclusively in equal temperament, have we lost something? Do you enjoy equal temperament? Can you not tell a difference? Is it conditional upon the instrument? Maybe we could start a campaign for pop music in unequal temperament. #WerckmeisterPop
(BTW, I’m rebuilding my once glorious YouTube presence. If you haven’t subscribed, do it here. I will soon upload myself playing through the keyboard repertoire where you can follow along with the music.)
Thank you WTF.
There is a wonderful temperament (extended 1/6 syntonic comma meantone) which works very well on stringed instruments.
Hi Evan, I once tried an experiment by a Jacob Collier on a video where he sings a natural ( non tempered ) 3rd over say C and G at the piano, filling in the triad. Is astounding how the ear tends to sing the "prettier", more resonant natural interval, while the equal tempered 3rd on the piano sounds pale and dull in comparison. Equal temperament might be like the " mp3 of tuning " ?. A compression of the color and individuality of each key that non equal tempered systems provide. Fascinating topic, thank you for bringing it out. #PopJazzMetalWerkmeister too !.Cheers.