microtonal MIDI

I've used the method Brian described, of distributing music
across multiple channels according to note value, for some
time now to tune my MIDI harpsichord. It works perfectly for
me. In addition, if you use a modern computer and sound card,
you don't need a hard disk recorder - a 386 with Cubase and a
SoundBlaster 32 keeps up with 16 channels simultaneously in
real-time playback.

--
John Sankey bf250@freenet.carleton.ca
Music is Beauty, Beauty is Truth, Truth is Freedom

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in response to Vincent Kenis:

That's a very interesting idea you propose, of adaptive vocal inflection
organized around pentatonic scales. You mention measuring basic steps of 7/6,
8/7, and 9/8. As it happens, Rick Tagawa, a composer who studied
ethnomusicology at UCLA, used the same intervals in reconstructing African
scales (I can't remember from where). However, the particular scale he used
in composing with an African sound was:

tones: 1/1 8/7 21/16 3/2 7/4
steps: 8/7 147/128 8/7 7/6 8/7

which has the unusual step 147/128 (239.6 cents), rather close in size to an
8/7 (231.2 cents) step, and has no 9/8.

As an aside, one of my favorite pentatonics is:

tones: 1/1 7/6 4/3 3/2 7/4
steps: 7/6 8/7 9/8 7/6 8/7

which uses only the steps you mention (which are superparticular). Of
course, this is just one of the 30 different arrangements (6 different if you
ignore cyclic permutations) of these steps, but this is one with nice harmonic
structure.

David C.
--
David Canright (408) 656-2782 (or -2206)
Math. Dept., Code MA/Ca (408) 656-2355 (FAX)
Naval Postgraduate School DCanright@NPS.Navy.mil
Monterey, CA 93943 USA http://math.nps.navy.mil/~dcanrig/

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