Greg's comments

Hi gang-
Greg makes some strong pronouncements, and I disagree more than I
agree. Last night I programmed Cakewalk to play this melody (a step
line to line is 10 cents, and the chart is to be read left to right, piano
roll style)

- - - - - --
- - -- - - -
- -- - - - - - -
- - - - - -- - -

The difference in each four note phrase was easily heard. Here is a
melody interleaved with several variations in which each difference of 10
cents is obvious.

A couple of points I argue against--

>1.Musicians do not write for exceptionally acute listeners, but for the
>masses.
I certainly don't write for the masses. Others may, but it strikes me as
a huge waste of time.

>2. 22-tone equal involves its failure to close the
>cycle of fifths. I am aware that some will say to themselves - so what?
"So what?", I said to myself. You were right about that.

>3. But a musical system that does not close the cycle of fifths has at a
>stroke isolated itself from 99% of the music not merely of the western
>19th century, but from virtually the whole of the western tradition, and
>from many other musical traditions as well.
And...?

>4. The septimal limit is more interesting. But it is dissonant...
Dissonant? Even the 7/4?

>5. Your reference to individuals being trained to reliably distinguish
>melodic intervals as close as 10 cents is the most fantastic piece of
>information I have ever been privileged to encounter.
There is nothing fantastic about this. In a laboratory setting this sort
of resolution is not extraordinary (try the above tablature experiment
yourself). Training is the key. Now, to recognize a 10 cent difference in
a live performance without training, of course you are right. Remember,
the people on this list are not Joe Average, and they are trained (or
train themselves) to make these sorts of distinctions.

Greg, keep it up. I love the controversy you generate.

John Starrett


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From: "Paul H. Erlich"
Subject: RE: repeating patterns
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