small intervals

You (Gregg Gibson) say that intervals narrower than 55-60 cents cannot
be meaningfully used in a melodic sense. This may be true, and I would
like to see this theory tested (has such a test been conducted?).
Johnny Reinhard and others bring our attention to the importance of even
smaller intervals used by musicians from many cultures in
ornamentation. Perhaps these smaller intervals, whatever they may be,
are perceived as part of the primary sound qualities of the note itself,
for example, as vibrato or tremulo, rather than as part of melodic
procedure. In South Asian art music, of course, singers and
instrumentalists often slide between the principal notes of a raga, and
doing this correctly takes years of study. The same is true of the
blues and so many local styles around the world. I once heard a Russian
singer performing "Amazing Grace" and many of the notes she used were
off by a meaningful micro-degree, and the results were...well, unusual
to say the least. I am curious as to how Gregg or others on this list
would treat the intermediate tonal areas these slides and other smaller
than 50-cent micro-units represent, from the point of view of tuning and
temperament.


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From: Gregg Gibson
Subject: Worthy & Worthless
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