Yahoo Tuning Groups Ultimate Backup makemicromusic Why from G? Why not A=440?

On 14 Dec 2005, at 13:13, MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 18:19:02 -0800
> From: Rozencrantz the Sane <rozencrantz@...>
> Subject: Scala Meantone Keyboards
>
> I've made up some Thummer keyboard maps for use in Scala (Tested with
> Scala22): add "Clav_Key_File keymapname.par" to the scala.cfg file,
> and place the keymap file in the Scala directory
>
> They're all Equal-tempered meantones, So far I've made 12, 19, 31, and
> 55, and they are all centered on the (letter) G = Scale degree 0
>

I fail to understand why anyone would wish to use G as their
reference pitch name.
Which G? from C= 256? A=440? 12edo? Just? ?????

One of the eternal shortcomings that I have found with the .scl list
of intervals format is that the reference pitch is not necessarily
accurately defined.

I appreciate the various arguments for using C as the basis, as 12edo
C or 256 Hz, and matching to diverse tempo or physical/biological
references etc

Yet it has always seemed to me that agreeing on a single standard
A=440Hz would make the most sense.

I hear the contrary P.O.V. 1) Some frequencies are underrepresented,
and will rarely be sounded.
2) The planet is slowing, hence 440Hz
changes.

Nevertheless using the International Standard (DIN) (BSI) etc. does
establish a practical consistency,
which is why I have always chosen to define all notename frequencies
in LucyTuning as being from the A=440Hz. standard.
The result is that all strictly LucyTuned instruments can play in
tune with eachother;
unlike instruments tuned from the lucy_nn.scl files, which require
users to select any old reference pitch that takes their fancy.
Hence don't expect to be able to play "in tune" with any other
LucyTuned instruments unless you use A=440Hz as your reference pitch.

Flames, blames, hanging, drawing and quartering expected. "Bring 'em
on!" or whatever the GWBush quote was to that effect.

Charles Lucy - lucy@...
------------ Promoting global harmony through LucyTuning -------
for information on LucyTuning go to: http://www.lucytune.com
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

🔗threesixesinarow <CACCOLA@...>

🔗Carl Lumma <ekin@...>

🔗Rozencrantz the Sane <rozencrantz@...>

On 12/14/05, Charles Lucy <makemicro@...> wrote:

> > I've made up some Thummer keyboard maps for use in Scala (Tested with
> > Scala22): add "Clav_Key_File keymapname.par" to the scala.cfg file,
> > and place the keymap file in the Scala directory
> >
> > They're all Equal-tempered meantones, So far I've made 12, 19, 31, and
> > 55, and they are all centered on the (letter) G = Scale degree 0
> >
>
> I fail to understand why anyone would wish to use G as their
> reference pitch name.
> Which G? from C= 256? A=440? 12edo? Just? ?????
>

You completely misunderstood my post. On a qwerty keyboard, the G
button (for typing the letter 'G') is roughly in the middle of the
keyboard. I have assigned this button on my Qwerty keyboard to play
Scale Degree zero in whichever tuning is loaded.

If you want the center pitch (the one that you play with the G button)
to be A440, then you'll have to set Scala's defaults to tune scale
degree zero (that's the one that the G button plays) to A440.

You have to load the equivalent tuning into Scala, too. You could use
the 55tet keyboard with a Slendro tuning, and the G button would still
play scale degree zero, but all of the other keys would play
pseudorandom notes from many different octaves.

🔗Herman Miller <hmiller@...>

Charles Lucy wrote:
> One of the eternal shortcomings that I have found with the .scl list > of intervals format is that the reference pitch is not necessarily > accurately defined.
> > I appreciate the various arguments for using C as the basis, as 12edo > C or 256 Hz, and matching to diverse tempo or physical/biological > references etc
> > Yet it has always seemed to me that agreeing on a single standard > A=440Hz would make the most sense.

A=440 makes sense if you're notating the pitches of each note in cents in a score. On the other hand, A wasn't always tuned to 440 Hz, so you'll need the flexibility to tune A to different pitches for early music if nothing else. And for whatever reason, various composers specify certain pitches that aren't based on A=440. Easley Blackwood specifies middle C tuned to 264 Hz, for instance. Recently, I've been using D=290 Hz. I don't expect that anyone else will necessarily want to tune D to 290 Hz, but it's nice that Scala gives me the option to do that (since D is the center of symmetry of meantone notation, it makes sense to use it as the center for other temperaments, and I picked 290 Hz because it's a nice round number that still sounds like a D).

🔗Gene Ward Smith <gwsmith@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Herman Miller <hmiller@I...> wrote:

> A=440 makes sense if you're notating the pitches of each note in cents
> in a score.

The trouble with 440 is that it isn't divisible by three. Replacing
the factor of 11 with a factor of 9 gives 360, but unfortunately that
is F# or Gb.

On the other hand, A wasn't always tuned to 440 Hz, so
> you'll need the flexibility to tune A to different pitches for early
> music if nothing else.

Right, so maybe A=432, taking us back a little earlier, would be good,
though it lacks a factor of five. But Pythagorean tunings would
produce a lot of integer values. Of course there's always been a
certain logic in the popular choice of C=256.

🔗monz <monz@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith"
<gwsmith@s...> wrote:

> ... Of course there's always been a certain logic
> in the popular choice of C=256.

Since this isn't the tuning-math list, i thought
i'd point out why you say that.

http://tonalsoft.com/monzo/article/article.htm#reference

If one bases the whole tuning on a very low (actually,
inaudible) "C" with a frequnecy of 1 Hz -- which makes
a lot of sense if you want a "C" to be your 1/1 or
reference pitch -- then the 8th octave above that
is 2^8 = 256 Hz.

If you make C=256 your 1/1 -- which i like to call n^0
in the prime-factor notational scheme -- then the entire
audible range for most humans is encompassed within
C^-4 to C^+4, which is really beautifully if you like
symmetry.

-monz
http://tonalsoft.com
Tonescape microtonal music software