Nature of nuture

I read one of the most recent posts to the alternative tuning list with
great interest, and I began to wounder something, and this was a variantion
on that "twins concept", in whihc, one twin was raised on 12 eqaul
temperament, and one on Just Intionation.

Both twins were then allowed to listen to each other's music on their 23rd
birthday.

OK, you get the idea....

I must admit, that I found this post most interesting, because I am, myself
one of twins, and I should mention, VERY fraternal, altho I have the deepest
respect and admiration for my sibling, and I felt, that, Just Intonation,
at least the 5 limit system, when I first heard it, sounded slightly more
microtonal to me, that 12 ET was.

But it was just me....

I woundered about this for some time, and I began to wounder, about the
nature of twins raised on 19 equal temperamnets an 12 equal temperaments.

Supposedly, there would be a situation in which the 19 equal temperament
raised twin, liked the 12 equal temperament better than the 12 equal
temperamnet raised twin liked the 19 equal temperament, and I feel that
there is a deep, fundamental mathematical ideal behind this, and that this
is, that 12, is a number, which has, more multiples, that is-divisors which
give no remainder, than a prime number 19, or even a number like 20.

12's multiples are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, making 6 multiples, and 6/12=0.5.

19 has only two multiples, and 2/19=0.105263157.

20 has: 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, giving six multiples, but it is a bigger number
than 12, and 6/20=0.3

So, which Equal temperament has the "densest" number of multiples?

2 is perhaps the most, altho I'd say that using only octaves is boring.

6 has 4/6=0.666666666666....

So, what is special about 12?

Well, I thought back to an earlier post about the relationship/parallel
between genetic information, and this haveing 4 base amino acids, in a
sequence, and as to the wounderfully rich poliferation of life that this can
give.

I thought back to John Chalmers telling me that the sub-atomic particle zoo
was a lot simpler than biological classification systems, and I made a
conncetion with 12, and the permutations of notes that this can give, not to
menion chords.

24 :-->1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 24= 7/24=0.29166666.

I also feel that a lot of this appreciation of music would be dependant on
breeding, not to sound stuck-up, but also how widely read you are.

I developed an interest in microtonal music haveing read OMNI, a copy from
1981 at a friend's house, but I have always been interested in recreational
mathematics.

So, perhaps a 19-raised twin, or a 12-raised twin, having heard ONLY their
specific systems of tuning, would be more likely to enjoy other's systems if
they had an interest in mathematics.

Its a little like the thought-experiment on color perception I read about:

A color vision expert, is well read, and fully educated in each and every
aspect of color vision, she knows everything that there is to know about
color perception and optics, but there is one drawback, and that she is
color blind.

So, is it a moot point to ask weather or not she knows what it is TRUELY
like to see color?

I like music on two levels, and these are not mutually exclusive, their
relationship is fuzzy and these are mathematical, and practical.

If my arm is twisted, and my brain is twisted, then I'd say that
mathematics, and theory are perhaps my favorite and best part of the
appreciation of microtonal music, but you can't have one without the other.

I will later, listen to some hexatonic music, when a friend tapes me Ivor
Darreg stuff from Brian McLaren.

Please give him my regards.

---Sarn.