The magnificient senventh...

My playing experience taught me that jazz uses 4:5:6:7 chords most
of the time. The 'flat' seventh really puts the chord its "cool" or
"relaxed" context.
Playing a 16/9 on top of a jazz chord just kills the feeling. But, some jazz
uses 5-limit 7th chords, and classical music uses it all the time (almost by
definition.)

The 16/9 in the classical seventh chords (1 5/4 3/2 16/9 or sometimes
3/4 16/9 2/1 ) gives a very serious, or conventional, feel to the music.
This afternoon, I realised how much this conventional effect, this expected
effect is important.

I was playing the last stranza of the aida march in the key of F
major. Here it is in GWBasic notation with the chords on top : (is there a
better name for this kind of notation?) I separated in bars, the first one
starting on the second beat.

Tempo : approx 60bpm for the quarternote

Cm F7 G7 C
G G.G8 >C.C8 EbD C
The Eb in the first F7 bar is the climax of the phrase. I was using
a new trumpet today, a Jerome Callet Soloist. I hadn't tested the intonation
of the horn before playing. When I played the high Eb, using the 5th
harmonic and 2nd valve pressed, (theorically 5/4 of C, minus 100cents) when
I played this, the trumpet played the 7/4 of F!!!! Believe me, a note 36/35
lower then the classical 16/9 sound REALLY WEIRD!!!!!! The note was a full
quartertone off! I will be traumatised for a few days. This note sounded
really wrong.

I would like to have everyone's feedback:
What is your opinion on sevenths? What is the difference between 16/9 and
9/5? (I you tell me that the difference is a comma, I will have to kill you.
What I want to know is when to use the two different intervals.)

-Kami




Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl
with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Sun, 25 Aug 1996 07:15 +0200
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA31415; Sun, 25 Aug 1996 07:16:21 +0200
Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA31361
Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI)
for id WAA17888; Sat, 24 Aug 1996 22:16:20 -0700
Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 22:16:20 -0700
Message-Id: <960825051025_71670.2576_HHB48-11@CompuServe.COM>
Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu

Kami asked,

>What is the difference between 16/9 and
>9/5? (I you tell me that the difference is a comma, I will have to kill
you.
>What I want to know is when to use the two different intervals.)

16/9 is a pythagorean minor seventh, and is a good choice for pythagorean
chords like
C Eb F Bb or C F G Bb, or a classical sounding dominant seventh chord (C E G
Bb). 9/5 is better for a minor seventh chord (C Eb G Bb). Two
consonant-sounding half-diminished seventh chords are 4/7 2/3 4/5 1/1 (can
be the II chord in minor) and 5/4 3/2 7/4 9/4 (can be the VII chord in
major), where the second chord has a 9/5 minor seventh.


Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl
with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Thu, 29 Aug 1996 01:24 +0200
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA04178; Thu, 29 Aug 1996 01:25:22 +0200
Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA04072
Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI)
for id QAA17540; Wed, 28 Aug 1996 16:25:20 -0700
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 16:25:20 -0700
Message-Id: <84960828232348/0005695065PK3EM@MCIMAIL.COM>
Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu