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West African Tunings TD 1314

🔗"Andrew L. Kaye" <androsky@...>

1/31/1998 3:10:05 PM
> Date: Fri, 30 Jan 98 18:42:42 -0500
> From: Alex
> Subject: Tuning in West African music
>
> According to at least one scholar, some balas are tuned very close to
> an
> equiheptatonic scale (7-TET) +/- 1.7 cents.

Is that the article by Rouget you are referring to?

> I'd be interested to hear/see how much this differs from just major
> (and other related
> tunings).

On paper it is quite different, as an ideal equiheptatonic scale
consists of equal intervals of about 171 cents, which falls about smack
in the middle of a 3/4 tone and a tempered whole step. In practice,
however, as in the case of equiheptatonic scales in Southeast Asia, the
steps are usually not all equal. This is a subject that demands closer
attention by ethnomusicologists and tuning specialists.

> But precise tuning is "obscured" by the presence of "timbres" on the
> calabashes that are put under keys.

I don't understand how the "timbres"--I assume you are referring to the
spider web material that is placed on the gourds to make the
characteristic buzzing timbre--"obscures" precise tuning. Can you
please elaborate?

> I don't know if this is of any interest to you, but it shows that,
> maybe,
> Ellis' work is still valuable in an ethnomusicological perspective.

Please elaborate...

> His tuning is close to the second mode of a major pentatonic scale
> with
> some altered notes (especially the equivalent of the 7th).

By this you mean D-E-G-A-C ??? Is "C" the equivalent of the 7th you are
referring to?

> ...I'm quite sure his tuning is non-arbitrary. Any idea about that?

If it were arbitrary, one day his music would sound like it was Chinese,
the next Spanish, the next Appalachian, the next Harry Partch. But no,
I imagine his music sounds...Mande. Indeed, it is a difficult to define
local (regional) habits of tuning and temperament. Gerhard Kubik, among
others, have noted that a number of African cultures allow for a
considerable amount of variation in tuning (without apparently losing
the sense that all the music belongs to the same local set of styles).
It seems to me that we simply have a bit more research to do. I am
looking forward to seeing your results. (And you should also check out
Roderick Knight's reports on the Manding tuning systems among the jali).

> Anyway, sorry for the long posts.
> TIA for any help or comment.

Long posts are especially welcome if they contain lots of good material
or raise important issues, as you have. But your post wasn't long.

Andrew Kaye


SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: John Maxwell Hobbs
Subject: AWE64 and tuning
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