Fwd: Re: FAQ again (hear, hear!)

--- In tuning@y..., "J Gill" <JGill99@i...> wrote:
--- In tuning@y..., klaus schmirler <KSchmir@z...> wrote:
> Well, I thought I'd have look what they have over at Tuning2. And
> lo and behold, there was that FAQ that was talked about so much when
> I started reading along in Tuning1.

> <snip>

> First and foremost, there should be a link to the revered polyhistor
> Monzo's tuning dictionary too.

Indeed! The Amazing Monz deserves a lot of credit for his tireless
and very helpful efforts at the compilation of such knowledge!

>
> It would be nice if there was a place where all the math terms
> and notations were explained. In more detail: the different methods
> of scale construction, there mathematical derivation in all the
> gruesome details, and a convenient shorthand (resp.: the form in
> which it turns up in posts). Maybe (is it Christmas yet?) an
> explanation of all the different complexities _along with an
> explanation of what they really measure_.

Hear, hear Klaus!!! As a newcomer who has fairly good (though not
astounding!) math abilities, and has been struggling to understand
what specific operations, algorithms, and quality factors are being
talked about and utilized by the folks on many of the tuning lists,
in order that a guy like me could also apply them successfully, I
have (and continue to) often stare without certainty at the lists and
tables which are posted, unsure of their specific meaning, and unsure
of the specific mathematical operations from which they are derived.

It is understandable that folks well versed in such knowledge, when
conversing together, cannot practically include tutorials with each
post, as they are busy "getting to" the solutions.

My head has been swimming with terms and phrases like tonal
generators, unison vectors, commatic and chromatic, moment of
symmetry, constant structure, etc., and I have found the approach of
trying to dig through many early posts to be less productive in
elucidating the issues than one might hope, due to their fragmented
and brief nature (which is understandable considering the nature of
the process of folks of similar understanding levels conversing).

Somewhat ironically, I have found that what appears to the newcomer
as some of the most "heavy-duty" stuff (the posts of Pierre Lamothe
on tuning and tuning-math groups), has turned out to be some of the
most thorough, and step-by-step, presentations of certain
derivations. I think this is because, Pierre Lamothe (a newcomer
himself around one year ago) could not afford to (and has not) taken
for granted that others would understand his communications without
explanation, and, therefore did not ASSUME that the reader would (or
should) allready know exactly what he was referring to when he began
to speak, and, as a result, made an effort to carefully EXPLAIN his
meanings and processes in his early posts. For that I thank him!
Even with some uncertainties existing as to the intended meaning of
his written statements, Lamothe's mathematical derivations are
presented in a systematic, and thus potentially absorbable form.

In addition to Pierre Lamothe, I have found some of Dave Keenan's
posts to be helpful to a person trying to get a feel for the "forest"
of ideas which are typically disussed only on a "tree by tree" basis
in many posts (understandably, as stated above). Also Margo Schulter
does an excellent job of constructing her posts in a systematic and
accessible form. And, my thanks to Paul Erlich for, at times,
providing some "conversational" background which helps to understand
the nature of many of the fascinating, but (understandably) brief
(and very technical conversations in which he participates. Graham
Breed's website (which I am still digesting)is also a noteworthy
effort to introduce folks like me to the linear algebra of tuning!

> Since not everyone wants an overview over all the lists (Tuning2 now
> has 8 members), it might be a good idea to refer the FAQ from a more
> frequented place (like The Big List).

Monz does a commendable and excellent job of attempting to compile
the ongoing process of the definition and explanation of the many and
varied terms and phrases in the "vernacular" of tuning, as it
evolves. However, the more the merrier, and these things (like many
subjects) are enhanced by a variety of (hopefully not too divergent)
viewpoints from which the newcomer is able to consider these matters
from various veiwpoints in formulating a personal working
understanding of these esoteric, yet truly fascinating, subjects!

Best Regards and Thanks to All, J Gill
--- End forwarded message ---