no commercial potential [alright maybe some !]

<< Would you damn Partch because he expressed his personal opinion [in
book form no less] about his presription for the thang he ain't
personally diggin' ? >>

< Well "damn" might be a little strong for what I wrote, but yeah,
absolutely. Though, somewhat hypocritically I'll admit, Partch made
that music... and boy, that really counts and covers for an awful lot!
I suppose like most people I'll tend to excuse or ignore this or that
in one instance and rant and rave about it in another. But when
reading say Partch or Ives, the things that would generally make me
wince are tied to a much broader context; that person and their art
and all that that entails. Does that make any sense? >

Yes it does make sense. I think you mean that once I produce some music you like you will forgive me my carelessness. Hopefully soon I can do that.

< Anyway, what you wrote got me honked simply because its sweeping
generalness swept right over many square miles that I believe in
(etc.) in a way that I saw as, well 'careless'. An overreaction on my
part? Sure, I wouldn't doubt it.>

You must remember I was not talking about my tastes in music which seem vey similar to yours, but was merely generalising about what the majority of the music buying public seem to like. Sort of market research if you like.

<< You are probably already well aware that his theories and music did
not always match up. >>

< Have you read Wendy Carlos's article "Tuning: at the Crossroads"?
Check out the bit on Partch's folly for a well reasoned (though
misguided to my way of seeing things) dissenting view. >

Not yet. I got the gist from the discussion on the list though. Where can I find the full article ?

<< Now I consider instrument building as just a [difficult] way to get
non 12tet sounds. >>

< Say it ain't so! I'm much more struck by the unorthodox and fresh
timbers, attacks and overall character of new instruments than I am by
any tuning related reality they carry with them. Can there be any
doubt that new instruments are far more powerful in their initial
impact than new tunings? I've had many occasions to play very
competent listeners microtonal music, even in equal tunings like 11
and 13, and had them not know that it was something other that 12...
but three seconds of Partch's ensembles, Reichel's daxophone,
Ghazala's incantors and no one -- and I mean no one -- is nonplused! >

I really admire anyone with the energy to create an orchestra of experimental musical instruments and love the sounds they make [Hans Reichel's 'return of the daxsman' is brilliant] but I am much more likely now to make one marimba bar and sample it than create a whole ochestra of instruments. [I have little enough time as it is to make music without building all my instruments too !]To go through what Partch did and Kaig Grady has done is, for me, like Sisyphus and his fate with pushing the bass marimba up the mountain and then doing it all again.

Maybe timbre & ADSR envelopes are more powerful than tuning [I would say like Sethares that the two cannot be seperated] but I like to have both under the control of a computer and digital sound manipulation rather than my poor wood working skills. Most modern electronic dance music is interested more in sounds than harmonic motion and melody.

< But whether I like it or not, I'd have to say that it has been my
experience that tuning is far far from the top of what most people are
cognizant of (or unpromptedly responsive to) in an actual musical
context... but, that isn't to say that it's unimportant! Because
personal experience so obviously tells my otherwise. >

They might not know it's xenharmonic or whatever but they might like it and just can't put their finger on what it is that they like. Art isn't always in your face but is often an overall effect and many factors contribute to this. This is the invisible art behind any great works.

Justin White

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