Holy Solenoids Batman!

> but there are still some problems to solve, like
> the reaction time and heat generated by the solenoids.
>
> Graham

What the hell are they doing with solenoids?

Anybody got a link I may have missed?

Solenoidally,
GZ

In-Reply-To: <3C7D0D80.E89E92AC@...>
George Zelenz wrote:

> What the hell are they doing with solenoids?
>
> Anybody got a link I may have missed?

I can't find any links. A lot of this I got verbally from Patrick and
others involved. Unfortunately, I got there late and missed the
demonstrations.

What they have now is two modified trumpets with an extra valve to give
either 24- or 19- equal. That valve is activated by a solenoid, because
it was thought that the performer's little finger wouldn't be strong
enough to control a valve directly or something like that. They expect to
have a complete brass quintet by the middle of this year.

They're also looking at wind instruments with a large number of holes or
valves, so that the normal hand doesn't have enough fingers to control
them. Instead, there's be some kind of digital interface, and a computer
decides which holes to block. This can be used for new timbres as well as
new tunings, depending on the software. Some multiple of 12 tuning (not
72, unfortunately) is planned, I don't know if it's under construction.

And there are the 19-equal recorders. I don't know who has them. And a
31-equal harpsichord I did see once but wasn't in working order last I was
there.

In addition to these "headline" projects, some of the students are making
alternatively fretted guitars, and on the tour I saw a monochord with JI
and Pythagorean frets on it. I saw a Wilson-style marimba on a previous
visit as well. That may have been Tony Salinas' work; it was him who
showed me it. He's in Japan now, did post to the big list recently, and
may be returning to LGU some time.

Graham

In-Reply-To: <3C7D57A3.2B4AD61D@...>
Kraig Grady wrote:

> This seems very practical! I appreciate the info on the latter, do you
> know
> if it was used and the response! With any slide one can put marks by
> attaching a rod which goes over a place where the player can see. I saw
> John
> Crawford (who worked with Partch on Delusion at least) with square organ
> pipes with a slide put inside. he added a part that went extended over
> the
> body so when you blew you could mark on the body where you wanted to
> slide
> to, or whatever. It worked well, a talented man who you NY people have
> now!

You'll have to ask Patrick! I only have this footnote. It says the
Firebird is "no longer commercially available" which suggests it was once.

> I will have to remain skeptical as the mixture of spit and electronics
> seems
> like a big problem :-). It also seems it is going to drive the price up

I see you have a smiley, but this is really no more dangerous than a
kettle. The price may go up, but horns are already expensive whereas
electronics are cheap and getting cheaper. My solution is to use
electronics for everything, but people keep on with their acoustic
instruments.

> I have looked into this deeper than given credit for as i have worked
> both
> with Trumpets and more recently French horn, retuning the valves to
> different just ratios with good results.
>
> It seems that Partch might have gain much by tuning his diamond to
> Bb or
> a related key, thereby being able to incorporate brass instruments. On
> the
> other hand the less western instruments the better his ensemble sounded

I don't see how you can get further west than California without falling
in the ocean. And I can't think of anything less appropriate than shiny,
machined brass instruments to be on Partch's stage.

Graham