Johnston, Schneider, Catler, tape swap

> Paul H. Erlich wrote:
> >Meantone results in no drift. A C is a C is a C. Other tunings will
drift,
> C
> >will often end up around where B used to be. Ben Johnston, a JI
composer,
> has
> >used this fact in writing Beethoven-style passages, which he follows
with
> >other passages that cause the music to drift back up.

What music is this? Is a recording available?

>
> The only Ben Johnston composition in my collection is the "Amazing Grace"
> recording by Kronos. It is a wonderful work, with some really effective
> modulations.

Yes. I have also become interested in Johnston on the basis of the Kronos
recording. I would usually consider the song "Amazing Grace" to be a good
candidate for "most obnoxious song ever written." Johnston has earned my
respect by arranging it into a piece that I actually enjoy immensely!

>Can anyone recommend other recordings of his music?

I recently picked up a new recording of Johnston's Microtonal Piano pieces.
(Found it at a local record store!) Nothing like SQ#4 of course. It has
some beautiful moments and lots of scary moments.

I've also got a Johnston CD titled "Ponder Nothing", containing various
chamber pieces. Very worthwhile if you can find it. I ordered it from
Barnes and Noble. (It only took them about 7 months to get it.)

I would be very interested in hearing more of his string quartet material.
I think a couple of them are available through CRI? I haven't followed up
on this yet.

> Oh, I also have Kronos' recording of Partch's "Barstow" with Johnston
doing
> the vocal part. I find it academic and obnoxious. It begs the question
> "Why?". This is not a work for string quartet, and it just sounds wrong.
> John Schneider's recording, on the other hand, projects the spirit of the
> lyrics quite well.

Barstow (and a lot of Partch's vocal material) has never excited me much,
probably because I don't fully understand it. I think the Schneider
version sounds really out of place wedged in between all those lovely
Harrison pieces.

Incidentally, since the list has recently been discussing microtonal guitar
CD favorites, the two John Schneider discs are right up at the top of the
heap. I particularly love the Harrison pieces on the Just Strings disc,
but the renditions of Partch's "Two Studies" and Cage's "In a Landscape"
are really swell too. But the Lou Harrison Music for Guitar and Percussion
is the even more spectacular. This is a desert island disc for me. Does
anyone know of any more Schneider recordings in the works?

I like the Catler Crash Landing disc too, although it took me a long time
to get used to it. Watch out for his other (earlier?) disc "Steel Blue".
I got it from JIN and couldn't believe it was the same guy. It's kind of
amateurish hard rock, complete with moronic lyrics. Pretty disappointing
after listening to Crash Landing.

..and one more thing. Last week after returning home from holiday
travels, I found in my mailbox the Tuning List Swap Tape. It was my most
unusual Christmas present this year. Amazing variety of material, giving
me a better glimpse into some of the charmingly psychotic minds
participating in this forum. Thanks again to Denis, Gary, and whoever else
was involved...

kp


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: "Bob Lee"
Subject: Re: What do you play?
PostedDate: 03-01-98 17:41:38
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Neil Haverstick apparently has:

> 19 tone electric, built by Starrett (whose is it, anyway?), with a
> Roland GR 300 guitar synth controller installed;

Does this mean you can use it to give MIDI input with 19 frets per
octave?

While I'm on a guitar tip, how practical would it be to set one up
with movable frets?

My stuff is:

AWE64 Gold soundcard
TX81Z synth module
DX21 performance synth
Studio 49 input keyboard

The 64G, naturally, lives in a PC, but that isn't mine. I've
written my own Windows program to tune by pitch bends in real
time, and that's used with the 64G and DX21 for output. I use
Scala to set the full keyboard table on the TX81Z.

It is possible to set up Sound Fonts with specific tunings for
the 64G. I know how to do this, I just have to get round to
writing a program to automate the process.

The DX21 has a customised, symmetrical keyboard for input.

I've also got a Wave Blaster daughterboard, living in a different
PC. I have seen mention of this having tuning capabilities. Is
this right?


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: Johnny Reinhard
Subject: Re: instruments
PostedDate: 04-01-98 19:53:42
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I microtonally perform on:

a Puchner bassoon
a Dolmetch alto recorder @ A=440
a von Heune alto recorder @ A=415
and voice

And, of course, I have had the good fortune to conduct various
combinations of instruments by numbers of composers in a variety of
tunings.

Johnny Reinhard
318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW
New York, New York 10021 USA
(212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495
reinhard@idt.net
http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison)
Subject: Re: What do you play?
PostedDate: 04-01-98 20:55:53
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>My only (microtonal) instrument is an electric JI guitar. It contains 20
>frets in the first octave-- straight across, no partial frets. Mostly
>7-prime limit intervals (except a 12/11 fret, mostly because there was
>space there for another fret).

How do you tune the (open) strings? If I recall correctly (and I might
not), Rod Poole's guitars, which also play JI with frets going straight
across the finger board, are tuned with all strings in octaves apart from
one another.


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison)
Subject: Re: my instruments
PostedDate: 04-01-98 20:58:26
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I have just completed a 19-tone electric guitar. I will follow with a
19-tone electric bass. I am however, disappointed with the limitations of
standard electric hardware. Next month I plan to begin building acoustic,
gourd based instruments in JI. This seems the way to go for broader based
experimenting.


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: Paul Rapoport
Subject: misc.
PostedDate: 05-01-98 16:54:47
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On the "what we use" issue, I just got a new fretless electric guitar (a
Marchione) that seems to be incredible. I've only had it for a few days, but am
very hopeful about its possibilities.

lp


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: John Starrett
Subject: Microtonal instrument list
PostedDate: 22-01-98 20:47:58
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