Yahoo Tuning Groups Ultimate Backup mills-tuning-list Reply to Brian

Folks,

It pains me to have my first, and possibly last for some time, post to
this forum be so negative. Having learned (the hard way) not to speak
of what I know not, I've sat in silence for a while hear (sic -- but
you all know I meant "here" :), eagerly drinking from the fountain of
knowledge that is this list.

And I'm not just saying that, either -- if it weren't for contacts
I've made here I wouldn't have even heard of the Universe Symphony
(thanks, Johnny) nor would I be actively trying to come up to speed in
19TET (thanks, Neil) and just this past weekend 88CET (thanks, Gary).
I've found more here than I could have ever have hoped for.

However, my fuse was lit on a subject of which I have some miniscule
scrap of knowledge, so I am speaking now.

Brian writes:

> Ladies and gentlemen, you'd have better luck
> examining tea leaves in your quest for useful
> information about microtonality than in searching
> the world wide web.
> --mclaren

Brian,

I will be the first to agree that the web can be a lot like
television, and yes, search engine technology has a way to go, and
yes, dead links are a Royal PITA, but I think your expectations may be
a bit out of line. I did my own experiment based on part one of your
message, using first Magellan:

A search on "microtonal" gave me a result of 68 entries, the first few of
which were:

1) The Microtonal Music of Ezra Sims
2) A pointer to info about the CD "Just West Coast" (dead, but
it mentioned names -- good search fodder)
3) Wendy Carlos Biography
4) Microtones -- Other sites (dead link)

Among other links in the same search:

* The British Harry Partch Society
* Partchs Legacy
* Newband (also dead, but another name)
* A link about "Enclosures" (dead)
* A link to "Music Resources and Organizations" which mentioned
the AFMM

I ran the same search on Yahoo!, and came back with quite a few
references to things in the tuning list archive, many of which were
pointers to your own prose. OK, maybe the article turns out to be not
what you wanted, but if you were genuinely *searching* for
information, I'd have to think you would scan the rest of the digest,
then see, and perhaps follow, the instructions on subscribing.

I found references to Dean Drummond, John Starret, a pointer to
"software for analysis and creation of tuning systems", the
Xenharmonicon Author Index, a Pointer to Easley Blackwoods homepage,
etc.

And, yes, a lot of irrelevant crap. So? I can't remember the last
time the library had everything I wanted, and only what I wanted, all
laid out on a table with an appropriate single-point-of-reference in
the card catalog.

Assuming my queries had been run by a newbie (as I was myself not so
long ago, and perhaps still am) with a desire to find out about
microtonal music, it took fifteen minutes, two searches and a chasing
a few pointers to find this list, quite possibly the best resource
there is on the net. Given that little demonstration, and I didn't
even have to pull "advanced tricks" like looking in the directory a
link came from to see what else it might have, etc., if someone is
having sooo much trouble finding anything of value, I have to wonder
if maybe there's a just a wee bit of "user error" involved?

Here's Helpful User Tip Number 1:

If it's hits you want, make your search as broad as
possible. "Microtonal" is better than "microtonality".
"microton" would be an even better choice. [Of course,
the amount of kruft will go up also, but such is life.]

Helpful User Tip Number 2 (which might have led you to #1 above):

RTFM (IOW: hit the ``help on searching'' or whatever
button if you aren't getting what you think
you should.)

Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to flame, or even
enflame. Things obviously don't work the way you expect. All I'm
trying to suggest is that you take into account the way they *do*
work and make the best of 'em. It's all you can do short of doing
it yourself.

Respectfully,

Steve

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Reply to Brian

🔗Steven Rezsutek <steve@...>

🔗Gary Morrison <71670.2576@...>