ways to adjust tunings

A few days ago JdL wrote:

>> I am intrigued but highly skeptical that it might make sense to
>> adjust the tuning of a piece on some other basis, especially at the
>> expense of nice integer ratios. Could you provide more substance,
>> please?

One possibility would be to adjust the tuning based
on the partials (spectrum) of the notes being played.
This would be the same as adjusting to simple integer
ratios if the sounds had harmonic overtones, but would
be different otherwise.

Another idea would be to adjust the tuning so as
to achieve a certain rate of beating among the
partials (i.e, adjusting to beatlessnes is not the
only sensible goal). This is sometimes stated as a goal of
gamelan tuners in poetic terms - to make the tones "shimmer".

Bill Sethares

Bill,

> One possibility would be to adjust the tuning based
> on the partials (spectrum) of the notes being played.
>
Do you mean by this an idea similar to the tuning of pianos, where the
perceived ratios are retained but due inharmonicity don't correspond with
an absolute spectrum, if so wouldn't this sort of on the fly retuning be
analogous to instrumentalists adjusting their intonation to match that of
the piano? This would imply both maximizing the consonance of the moment and
a more horizontal intonational memory similar to the melodic relations of
the piece.

Clark