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Re:Why are D-sharp and E-flat considered to be two different... by wizofaus on Sunday August 28, 2022 @12:02PM (#32629418)
Sure, I imagine it's not dissimilar to how we sing as choristers. But I've played on keyboards tuned to exact just temperament in a particular key and it starts to sound very weird very quickly the moment you veer off the reference key signature.
Re:Why are D-sharp and E-flat considered to be two different... by chimeracoder on Sunday August 28, 2022 @12:30PM (#32629655)
> But I've played on keyboards tuned to exact just temperament in a particular key

Well, that's your problem. You're using a keyboard, which doesn't permit you to harmonize dynamically the way an unfretted string instrument does.

Even within a particular key, the pitch that sounds the best for a particular note will depend on which other notes within that key you're attempting to harmonize with. A keyboard can't do that.

Re:Why are D-sharp and E-flat considered to be two different... by wizofaus on Sunday August 28, 2022 @02:02PM (#32630470)
Btw, this is from the wikipedia article on Equal Temperament, and I'd say it aligns with my general understanding/ expectation:

"Unfretted string ensembles, which can adjust the tuning of all notes except for open strings, and vocal groups, who have no mechanical tuning limitations, sometimes use a tuning much closer to just intonation for acoustic reasons. Other instruments, such as some wind, keyboard, and fretted instruments, often only approximate equal temperament, where technical limitations prevent exact tunings.[4]"

Re:Why are D-sharp and E-flat considered to be two different... by wizofaus on Sunday August 28, 2022 @12:43PM (#32629767)
No and it's possible that as a pianist my ears are more attuned to prefer equal temperament than those of a string player. But I admit when singing a capella there are occasions particular chords just seem to sit better than when having to match a piano accompaniment, and to some extent that's likely to be the ability to use "purer" intervals.