7:4's mood, and other things

*Name: Kami Rousseau
*Location: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
*Principal Musical Activity: Jazz improvisation, composition
*What types of "nonstandard" tuning system(s) do you use?
2-3-5-7-11 JI, 7-12-17-19 TET, 88CET.
*What instruments have you used in "nonstandard" tunings?
Voice, Trumpet, Sound Blaster 16.
*Why are you interested in "nonstandard" tunings?
Because they just feel right, and it's a world of
infinite explorations and discoveries.

7:4 is the first interval a microtonalist horn player comes in contact with.

Why? Because a horn plays the almost exact notes of harmonic serie with its
valves open.
The arpeggio (sp?) middle-C E G Bb is 4:5:6:7
So that is why I became used to 7's "feel." The best way to experience the
musical ensations is to pick up a horn and play the following flexibility
exercices (or "trll" these notes in rapid succesion on a electronic instrument):

5:4 -> C E, to warm up and listen to 5/4's relaxing effect [2^(4/12) is
anti-relaxing]
6:5 -> E G, to understand all the implications of the 4:5:6 triad
7:6 -> G Bb, to hear a very "7ish" interval
7:5 -> E Bb, which is hard to focus on because we are not trained to listen
to "sweet" tritones
7:4 -> C Bb, an interval that has an "open-minded feeling of freedom"
compared to 12TET's 2^10/12, which is closer to the "rude" 16/9.
8:7 -> Bb C, the large "septimal second" is completly different from 2^2/12
or 9:8. It sounds more "funky"
7:4 -> Bb C, a second time, but paying attention to the "funky" sound.

If playing 2:1 is like standing up, 7:4 feels like sitting down. Play the
following sequence on long notes to really hear the subtilities (sp?) of a
"7/4 octave":

1 7:4 49:64 343:256 49:64 7:4 1
Tonic 1st 7:4 2nd 7:4 3rd 7:4 And back to the tonic

I might not give you exact *words* for what 7:4 is like, but do these
exercices and you will understand everything about this wonderful interval.

Please take the time to read and e-mail me the answers of these questions :

How do you say "7:4"?? Seven quarters?? Seven four? Seven on four?
Does anyone know of a french name for cents??? How do you pronounce it in
french?

What is the smallest perceptible interval in *any* register? (approx 501:500)
Is this small interval perceivable in high or low register?
What is the minimum number of degrees to have a octave based scale?
What is the minimum number of degrees to have a n-ave based scale?
What is the maximum number of beats/second the ear can perceive? (is the
number of beats is greater than this number, the interval is not
perceived as "beating" anymore)
What is the minimum frequency that a human can perceive as a sound? (20 Hz,
15 Hz, 10Hz?? Give me the lowest world record.)
What is the max freq a human can perceive? (Again, Id like to get the "world
record")

If I get the answer to these questions (I know that these answers exist) I
will be able to complete my thesis about JI, ET and consonance. As soon as
I'm done with it, I'll send it to the list.

Thank you very, very, *very* much for your help.


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