Jorgensen & Ramble

Greetings,
Inre <<"Tuning the Historical Temperaments by Ear" by Owen Jorgensen
Gary writes:

> I get the impression however that it's mostly about 12-toned well
temperaments. >That as opposed to talking about the earlier (e.g., JI)
tunings, or the more
>recent unusual tunings, like 31TET or quartertones.
>Is that true?>>
Yes.
->2nd cup coffee kicks in<-

As is Jorgensen's much larger book "Tuning"; Michigan State University
Press; East Lansing, Michigan; 1991. This is a more focused look at the era
betwen 1600 and 1900, and deals with the transitional stage from "restrictive
to non-restrictive" styles; (very little on JI, good solid meantones,( a few),
and a wide variety of the well temperaments). It is presently considered the
"Bible" of tuning theory by many historical tuners, as it provides a context
for the last 800 years of "Technologically-Driven Intonation", (as McClaren
would say)

It is also of interest to tuners that Jorgensen gives the cents deviation
from ET for each temperament in the book. You can read the history, biography,
and theory of the tunings, and then just plug them in to your machine. This
is what is making it so easy for today's piano techs to replicate them.
With the availability of programmable tuning machines, this sort of
information is "instant history in a box" when tuning for the classical
crowd, who almost always find it a revelation. I have also been surprised at
the number of songwriters here in Nashville that like their own pianos tuned
in a well temperament. (nobody writes in F# around here.......)
It is possible that technology, in the form of the tuning computers and
printed info from Owen, will once again push intonational change.
Interesting, because this will require some "going back to go forward", but I
think the next generation of tunings will arise from a generation of musicians
that mature under the influence of more than one system.

Regards,
Ed Foote

http://www.airtime.co.uk/forte/history/edfoote.html

> Check my Microtonal Synthesis web site at
> http://freeweb.pdq.net/jloffink to answer these types of questions. I
> don't have personal experience with either unit, but generally Korg
> equipment is limited to 12 note scales with +-50 cents range per note,
> while Roland equipment is limited to 12 note scales wtih +-63 cents
> range per note. John Loffink

Does anyone out there have _personal_ experience with these modules?
Unfortunately, the great site maintained by John does not have the
details on the Korg X5DR, and it suggests that the Roland JV-1080 is
limited to 12-note scales. I'm actually looking for a module that is
not limited to 12-note scales. Thanks, Andrew Kaye