Some more/old music online...

Hey all,

Sorry to have been so busy as to not pop in more often, but hopefully things are under control (in my life). I've enjoyed some of the recent musical pieces put up here (and there, and everywhere), so my hat is off to the various people playing/making the stuff.

I'm also pretty well astonished at the *variety* of approaches and styles exhibited within even this small community. If the tools to make microtonal music continue to evolve, and the means of dissemination improve, there is a chance that alternatives to being locked in to 12tET can be grow on a listening public from many, many angles. And that is probably the only way things will move forward.

OK, so why in the world would I mention a 12tET piece of mine? A fair number of people come at the task of making 'our' kind of music(s) with the question "What is the minimum setup needed?" Of course, there are many answers, especially if you divide between the software/hardware/acoustic instrument camps. That said, many people have started out exploring with the minimum of Scala, FTS (or maybe Jeff Scott's Lil' Micro Oven [sorry, Jeff, I don't remember the *exact* name right now] and a humble Yamaha TX81z.

Jacky recently brought up in a post to Joseph that he has some seriously improved brass patches, and as I've just setup a second system totally devoted to running the synths and music gear, it made me think: didn't I manage to coax some better sounds out of my old box once?

So, while it is a piece that doesn't step directly into non-12, it does remind me of what I could do when I was using a couple of TXs on a more regular basis. To be morally pure, I didn't upload it to our files section, but you can find "Circuit Riding" at http://www.geocities.com/jonszanto/

The description is there, basically that it was a little spec/soundtrack piece about flying around inside a circuit board. I'm going to start working on some piece(s) that have some similar textures, but finally have some good intonations to work with the material, maybe changing tunings during different sections. We'll see...

Anyhow, hope everyone is well, and if you haven't been around CMM lately, post a little note to let us know how you (and your music!) are these days.

Mom loves you,
Jon

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
Real Life: Orchestral Percussionist
Web Life: "Corporeal Meadows" - about Harry Partch
http://www.corporeal.com/
NOTE:
If your reply bounces, try --> jonszanto@...

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/makemicromusic/topicId_1267.html#1267

That said, many people have started out exploring with
> the minimum of Scala, FTS (or maybe Jeff Scott's Lil' Micro Oven
[sorry, Jeff, I don't remember the *exact* name right now] and a
humble Yamaha TX81z.
>
> Jacky recently brought up in a post to Joseph that he has some
seriously improved brass patches,

Thanks so much, Jon, for sharing your music with us... Indeed, you
really get a *lot* out of the venerable TX81Zs...

Of course, a *sizable* percentage of that is due to "post processing"
of one kind or another.

Similarly, I did more of this kind of thing with the Z's in my recent
music to Shakespeare's Tempest, which was produced by a very
competent theatre company here in New York. I don't know if you had
a chance to hear any of this:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/299/joseph_pehrson_tempest.html

The Shakespeare music is entirely in 1/4 comma meantone: the tuning,
of course, of Shakespeare's day.

However, generally speaking, I have found that extensive use of post-
processing for *xenharmonic* music destroys the subtle sense of pitch
I'm trying to achieve... I use very little of it in xenharmonic
pieces for this reason. Therefore they sound fairly "flat" but the
tuning is better displayed in this way, or so I feel...

I should also mention that in the Blackjack piece for electronics and
trombone that I posted previously to this list, this is *not*
the "real" piece: it's meant for a *live* trombonist.

I would never have used the TX81Z brass patch in that way in
a "finished" work. That's only for Blackjack *pitch practice* by the
trombonist!

I guess that's always the chance a person takes when he/she puts up
an "unfinished" piece on the Web... :)

best,

JP

Joe,

{you wrote...}
>Of course, a *sizable* percentage of that is due to "post processing" of >one kind or another.

True. I think ahead to those treatments when writing the piece, if it is to be a recorded piece instead of a performed one. In this case, real wet presentation made sense since the effect was flying through some sort of space.

>I don't know if you had a chance to hear any of this:
>
>http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/299/joseph_pehrson_tempest.html

Thanks! That original came about when I didn't have too much time to be online, so I'll grab those later tonight.

>The Shakespeare music is entirely in 1/4 comma meantone: the tuning, of >course, of Shakespeare's day.

Apropo; I wish this was done more often...

>I would never have used the TX81Z brass patch in that way in a "finished" >work. That's only for Blackjack *pitch practice* by the trombonist! I >guess that's always the chance a person takes when he/she puts up an >"unfinished" piece on the Web... :)

Yes, I knew that; I hope you didn't get the impression that I/we didn't like it (not the intention at all) because of the patches, esp knowing that it was a 'preparatory' recording. I think it is great when people share "works-in-progress" and the like, and then we can also look forward to a "first performance recording"!

Cheers,
Jon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Jonathan M. Szanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/makemicromusic/topicId_1267.html#1291

>
> Yes, I knew that; I hope you didn't get the impression that I/we
didn't like it (not the intention at all) because of the patches, esp
knowing that it was a 'preparatory' recording. I think it is great
when people share "works-in-progress" and the like, and then we can
also look forward to a "first performance recording"!
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

Thanks, Jon... That's what I figured, but I just wanted to make sure
that listeners didn't think that was the final version!

I'm sure the sound of the "trombone" patch (actually called "horn" to
the TX81Z) "inspired" Jacky to think of some of his TX81Z
brass "improvements."

Surely the brass sounds need it. Actually this "horn" is one of the
better brass ones on the "Z." And, of course, we know what the
*strings* sound like! :)

But, of course, the bells and chimes with the FM work on the "Z" are
really quite striking (literally!). In fact, I got a good "review"
in a theatre newspaper (not even sure which one... it was just posted
up at the theatre) for the bells and chimes in the Tempest... which
I "abstracted up" quite a bit.

Thanks for the interest, and for listening. As I mentioned, I
enjoyed your masterful work with the TX81Z. Although an earlier
piece of equipment, I believe there's no arguing that
it's "legendary" from a tuning standpoint.

It's interesting that practically *everybody* who is into synthesis
and alternate tunings has worked with one at one time or another...
at least that's what it seems like sometimes to me...

best,

Joe

In-Reply-To: <9u40pq+gu34@...>
I still have my TX81Z patches at
<http://x31eq.com/graham/x991203.zip>. It's a single dump, so
you'll have to back up your existing user instruments before loading it.
There are some brass sounds in there, thinly disguised versions of
DX21 or TX81Z presets from what I remember.

Graham

J,

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., jacky_ligon@y... wrote:
> Thanks for the nice piece here! Great showcase of the "Z"!

Not bad for dinky little boxes...

> Really liked yer processing too. Do you use harware or software
> verb???

Most of the processing was hardware (in the studio) but some of
the 'digital delay' type effects were mock delays done in the
sequence with decaying velocities and volumes.\

> Git some micreetones happening in there and make us a CD.

I don't have enough good thoughts to fill a CD, but I promise to
start working on the tiny interval music in short order!

Cheers,
Jon