What We're Up Against

You've got to see this:

http://ubieta.com/bimodalism/

The author's complete ignorance of tuning is astounding. It's humerous at
first, but then sort of pitiful. He can't stop talking about the "harmonic
series" but the word "tuning" never appears on the entire page and he says
the thirteenth harmonic is "A". Somebody should give this poor guy a clue.

Keenan P.

Dan Stearns has incorporated a lot of Ubieta's bimodal ideas into his
micro-theoretical explorations here on this list . . . check the archives if
interested . . .

Keenan Pepper wrote,

<< Somebody should give this poor guy a clue. >>

This kind of talk in relation to tuning ideas (etc.) is not uncommon:
Hindemith, Schoenberg, Ives, Maneri... McLaren, I've heard them all
scoffed at for their need to "get a clue" theory wise when it came to
some aspect or the other of tuning issues.

I don't want to be an apologist for slovenly theory and whatnot, and
if something "ain't right" I do like to know, but for me what's also
important is weather there's something useful there, some ideas...
some sparks... Some thing that I can use as a springboard for some
ideas of my own. Something that gets the imagination going in a
positive direction.

I've had some personal correspondence with Ubieta, and he operates
completely within the usual twelve-tone equal tempered way of
thinking, and when he brings up the harmonic series (etc.) and any
sort of teleology he must mean it in a purely conjectural manner: "the
truth from the facts inclines us to think so" is what he once wrote
me...

Anyway, he's a nice fellow and an accomplished guy (see his bio), and
it's my opinion that some things inevitably get lost in the language
differences as well as the mindset differences -- hardcore tuning
enthusiasts v. the usual twelve-tone equal tempered way of looking at
these things. No, there's not much excuse for errant misinformation.
But I wouldn't be too quick to give it all the back of my hand
either...

Besides, that's a pretty mean "crunchy" chord he's got there!

--Dan Stearns