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MMD > Archives > May 2001 > 2001.05.27 > 02Prev  Next


Band Organ Just Tuning
By Bill Masterman

Years back, there was a thread on the benefits of tuning a Wurlitzer
150 roll playing band organ to a temperament titled "just tuning".
The idea is thrown out in the Archives, but nobody reported trying it.
I was wondering if anyone has since tried this tuning method, and if
so, what were the results?  I have been tuning my 146-B to equal
temperament, but am curious about trying just tuning.

Any thoughts on the suitability of this method on an organ with bells?
I checked the bells, and they are currently tuned A-435 equal
temperament.

Thanks,
Bill Masterman
Tacoma, WA

 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ Werckmeister and the de Caus methods are discussed in:
 [ "Band Organ Just Tuning", MMDs 96.11.22, 96.11.25, 96.11.28;
 [ "Building a Band Organ", 980614 MMD;  "Werckmeister Tuning
 [ for Wilhelm Bruder Organ", 010222 & 010223 MMD.
 [
 [ Fritz Gellerman tried the de Caus tuning on his North Tonawanda
 [ band organ which plays Wurlitzer 150 music.  He also tuned the
 [ bells.  He wrote to me:
 [
 [ "If there is an improvement in sound it's more or less masked
 [ by all the racket, in which case it's hardly worth the effort.
 [ Those with discriminating ears liked the sound, but they liked
 [ it with the old tuning too, so they weren't much help.   Since
 [ I retuned the bells to the de Caus scale, I will keep the organ
 [ tuned that way for the present rather than butcher them further."
 [
 [ -- Robbie


(Message sent Mon 28 May 2001, 01:24:48 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Band, Just, Organ, Tuning

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