KRW1%LEHIGH.BITNET@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.EDU (01/15/90)
>Alternative question: if a piece in (tempered) c-major sounds (feels) >different when played in d-major, it this because of the minor >differences in pitches due to the tempered scale? An equally tempered scale has no distinct reference points - every interval is the same ratio in any key. The "mood" of a key changes subjectively in the same way a color scheme might as you shift from, say, blue toward green. The same should be true of other temperaments (assuming you retune in each key). This is if everything is perfect. There are a couple of side issues which muddy things a bit. Pianos, for example, generally aren't tuned to perfect even temperament - the ratios change slightly from low to high according to the tuner's preference, but this may not be noticeable on an electronic instrument using computed scales. There is also the pitch vs. frequency effect where a the apparent frequency depends on volume (and the related pitch changes due to greater string deformation) - again, dependent on the actual sound producing mechanism. And then, the ratios in the harmonic series may still change dramatically from step to step for other physical reasons - dead strings, resonance, etc. This can all affect the "mood".