Comma Pop? I think not... and more!

Tunisti,

In a recent exchange here, entitled "Pop In Microtones", I had a bit of a
disagreement with Maestro J. Reinhard's somewhat enthusiastic overview of
the world. Please be assured, as Johnny and I have 'taken it outside' more
than once that it's all on a contextual level, with no (none!) enmity.
Onward...

Perhaps the greatest mistake is the confusion between "microtonal music"
and "music containing microtones". At least I believe this to be the crux
of the problem. I would propose that a music *fundamentally* based on some
sort of microtonal architecture, in any form, would constitute a piece of
"microtonal music". This, therefore, excludes musics that *happen to have*
microtones produced as a side effect, as an addition or coloration or
ornamentation, or an accident. I believe this to be a very important
distinction, and the one on which I base the premise that we are very, very
far, indeed, from a world of microtonal pop music.

After all, if the second schema was the yardstick, then most every
orchestral concert I've been involved in has been microtonal, at least in
the general vicinity of the back stands of the second violins...

Johnny had a very telling remark, in response to some of my questions about
globalization vs. Kenny G, and his ilk:

"The important thing here -- at least to me -- is that there is a
soup of interval useage out there in the real world of music, and
that includes pop."

Which only heightens the contrast between the two premises: is it
microtonal music just because it has a few out-of-tune/in-tune notes? I
don't believe it is.

So then Johnny, after a shotgun attempt at supplying information to back up
his claims, tended to reinforce my main point, which was only to keep
everyone from overheating with joy that the Microtonal Millenium had
arrived! The facts still exist:

1. Whitney Houston is not a microtonal pop artist.

2. In spite of any analysis, Pink Floyd could not realistically by
considered as composers/performers of microtonal pop -- because adjusting
3rds just doesn't overcome the inheirently 12TET underpinnings of the other
99% of the work.

3. Having microtonal (or microtonally sympathetic) personnel at *some* of
the stations or print outlets does not constitute mainstream. For heaven's
sake, NPR? Mainstream? In Jesse Helm's dreams...

The other rationalizations were also similarly weak. I didn't realize that
the Grateful Dead listened to Ive's 4th before each concert for a year, but
then I wouldn't ask Gerry Garcia to be my pharmacist based on his other
interests at the time, either. Not to mention that anyone hoping to peg
Aaron Copland as a microtonal composer (scattered experimentation
notwithstanding) is on shaky ground indeed; like he was a great serialist,
too, huh? Nope. Pretty traditional guy, by just about anyone's standards.

I hope no one took my thoughts on San Diego's microtonal 'scene' in a
mean-spirited way, I just wanted to make clear that (since we are speaking
of the present) that it is about as nowhere as most anywhere these days.
Past history is just that, and no personal slights were intended. Believe
me: there may be folks living here that know about it, but nobody doin' it.

HOWEVER, JR and I do have one potential common ground with rap. In its
infancy, with a reliance solely on vocals and rhythm, there was a freedom
from rigid harmelodic dogma that hadn't been seen in a great while. The
setting of words that mean a great deal to ordinary people, set
intervalicly (sp?) more closely to 'real' speech than any piano can
produce, certainly warmed my heart -- and I'm sure Partch would love it
too, harkening back to his earliest days of text settings in monophonic
arrangements (though Harry would have abhorred the violence and brutality).
Even though the scents of other musical styles are seeping back in, there
seems to be *much* more fluidity, harmonically and melodically, in the
vocals of these artists than most any other pop. Of course, that's all been
co-opted as it became fodder for Sprite commercials, etc. Damn.

Well, anyhow, that's one evenings ruminations. I figure I'm quiet enough on
the list that I can spew a little occasionally. I like to keep things in
perspective, yep...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, on a completely different note(s), if you haven't stopped by Corporeal
Meadows recently, please do (see the .sig). In the last couple of months
I've added a few new bits, including a reproduction of a brochure on
Partch's instruments that he included with the Gate 5 recordings, only (on
the web site) you can hear the instruments demonstrated.

Also, Philip Blackburn continues to bring out more material in the
Innova/Enclosures project, and we're probably just weeks away from the
first volumes of the CRI Partch Collection.

Besides, I never get any complaints about my site. I must have gotten
*someone* pissed off here! ;)

I'm going to bed now. Bye.
Cheers,
Jon
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Jonathan M. Szanto : "Hell, I haven't hit my thumb in 30 years!!"
jszanto@adnc.com : - Harry Partch
Corporeal Meadows : http://www.adnc.com/web/jszanto/welcome.html
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: Johnny Reinhard
Subject: Re: Comma Pop? I think yes... and more!
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