Armellinos criterion for detecting layman tuners, was Re: Bach/L......

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "J.Smith" <jsmith9624@...> wrote:
> > The layman approach is non-thinking.

> Hmmmm. I had to non-think about that one for a while, Johnny. I
> suppose that this statement was intended to be a jibe or insult
> (layman = non-thinker) directed by one academe toward
> another. Why would this be insulting?
>
> Webster's dictionary--
> "layman: one of the people (the unwashed and ignorant) as distiguished
> from the clergy (academic high priests); not of a stated profession
> (no Ph.D)."
>
G. Armellino, worte for master craftsman-tuners in his famous
standard textbook about practical temperament:
Kunst des Klavierstimmens (Art of piano tuning) Weimar 1881,p.36

"Der minder Geübte pflegt die Schwebung meistens zu übertreiben,
um sie deutlich zu erkennen, und bringt durch allzubedeutende
Schwächung der Quinten das entgegengesetzte Mißverhältniss von dem
hervor, was er ausgleichen soll."...
translation:
"The less trained layman overpronounces mostly the
beating (of the 5ths) to much broadly
in order to discern the beats (more) clearly,
(*for providing easier counting detection*)
and achieves by that an overprominent damping (flat) downwards
in the 5ths the reverse incongruent maladjustment
what he should counterbalance (inherently)."...
namely:
avoiding an final overwide wolf 5th residual at the end,
not to be confused with an wrong labeled
meantonic "diminished 6th wolf" closing rest.

> Ah, I see now. I'm a non-thinking, anti-intellectual bumpkin. Well,
> it's not insulting....it's funny. It's funny that I, and other >
>laymen,
> work long and hard to provide tax revenues; which revenues (by
> circuitous routes) fund various grants and university salaries....
> for shrill academic elitists....

Armellinos empirical observed criterion,
which he found on some half-backed beginners
is still valid tody and helps us too
at least a little bit
to keep strictly apart asunder:
real professional skilled craftsman
from the bare amateur layman botchers.

A.S.

p.s:
As good school for learning tuning from the scratch,
where you can learn counting beats preciesely,
i can reccomend for example:
http://www.ows-lb.de/