Re: Neo-Gothic Music in 13-tET -- audio files

Hi Margo,

> Given what has been said about 13-tET, sometimes in unabashedly
> xenharmonic literature, this has been a bit of a delightful surprise
> to me also. It's curious how the tuning can often support something
> quite close to what might be called "textbook 14th-century harmony,"
> but with some engaging turns and twists.

Yes, indeed, it does sound like very early music to my ears...

> Let's see, this would be 0-277-554-831-1200 cents. I should try this
> myself.

Yes, and then because one of the intervals is a major third, you
can rotate it to four different positions and form each one note
in the chord you can branch off four different "diminished sevenths"
and so one can modulate around the clock as it were using only
"diminished sevenths" in fact sort of, only one diminished seventh
gradually transforming.

I have an idea to do a piece like that, basically just one 13-tet
diminished seventh rotating around and going to all possible positions
in the scale by doing so. I suppose that's not a very medieval
idea, but would be interesting to find out if it fits in somehow.

> These are interesting comparisons; one timbre I use is called a
> "Chowning Celeste," based on a Yahama TX-802 preset, with at most
> minimal adjustments if I recall correctly. The pleasant effect of an
> inharmonic "tuned percussion" type of timbre is maybe not so
> surprising, and the Sitar comparison maybe another kind of question.

Yes, the Sitar is more of a surprise I think. I don't know what it is
that makes it work on Sitar and not on the Cello say. I'll do some
investigating... (Also is quite likely to depend on the soundbank and which of the
SB Live Midi ports I use).

I've put the Sesquisexta into the Midi In preset list in FTS beta preview,
as an experiment - it is a kind of somewhat eclectic list that brings
out various things that one can use with the program for midi relaying
- in this case, idea of using the two halves of the keyboard for
playing 24 note scales (or alternatively, two keyboards).

Basically tends to be whatever I was playing about with at the time
I added the entry to it, if it was something that seemed would interest
others. It's also got the spiralling hexany I posted to the TL as it
makes it convenient to get to it and I think it is kind of fun
to play around with.

Today I've been playing around with another kind of effect, using
syntonic commas looking at a little phrase:

c e g b' e+ e g e b e e+ b e e+ b e+ e c a c' a+ c'+ d'+
e'++ ~~ e' c'

where ~~ = a pitch glide, + = up by a syntonic comma

I found the recurring b e e+ melodic motif most attractive.
I worked it out on recorder rather than keyboard, using
the just ratios, or at least, what I imagined were them,
with no keyboard to hand at the time.

Idea is to write a piece that uses the syntonic comma to melodic effect,
and be useful too maybe for those wanting to practice just intonation
major thirds and syntonic commas in their playing. I may add some
kind of accompaniment to it. I'd like it to have at least one
comma glide in it, or maybe a double comma glide from say e++ to e
as in this ex.

> > I look forward to reading about the pieces and your technical notes.

> With Jacky's help, there should be more to come.

I'll look forward to it all.

Robert