Re: Practice and theory in 13-tET -- Hi, Margo!

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., jacky_ligon@y...
wrote:

> [Everyone will have to forgive Margo and I, because we adore those
> wide fifths and get very excited when they occur in our explorations
> of tuning. Very interestingly, I have noted that many others have
> these same perceptions. Paul Erlich has his 22 tET fifth @ 709.091
> cents,

I do like that fifth, though it can become a little
troublesome (beats become a bit imposing) in the
higher registers of the guitar. On the other hand,
with some synth timbres, even the 667-cent fifth of
9-tET can participate in some wonderful 9-tET
harmonies (and note that that's a very _narrow_
fifth).

Dan Stearns has spoken about the 20 tET with its
fifth @ 720
> cents, to name a few. I would say that there is something perhaps
> universally alluring about the sound of a stretched fifth which is a
> treasure to the ears of many. To me there is a "Gamelan something"
> about it, and I feel the same way about the stretched 2/1.]

In Gamelan, one finds both stretched and
compressed 2:1s and 3:2s, and they each have their
charm -- not independent of the timbres used,
which usually interact with the tunings to create a
very specific, strong beating -- very unlike the
interaction between tuning and timbre in Sethares'
thought . . . the point being, try everything out
(and give each tuning/timbre combination plenty of
time, to give it a chance to shape your brain in its
own image).

I'd _love_ to hear your 7-tET composition.
Pentatonic scales in 7-tET sound so _real_ --
they're Thai, they're blues, they're Clem Fortuna --
and those _narrow_ fifths are great, aren't they?