Re: [tuning] Digest Number 1077

> Message: 23
> Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 16:42:01 -0500
> From: "Paul H. Erlich" <PERLICH@ACADIAN-ASSET.COM>
> Subject: Really small major thirds
>
> Daniel Wolf wrote,
>
> >(e.g. van Zanten's
> >study of Cianjuran showed a preference for major thirds around 100 cents)
>
> What's this about?

Cianjuran is a Sundanese (West Java) genre of music for an ensemble that
may include voice, rebab (spike fiddle), and always includes a suling
(fipple flute) and one or two kechapi (long zithers). Van Zanten did a lot
of pitch measurements and the large thirds in the p�log, sorog and degung
tunings tended to be wide. Another criteria (and greetings to Margo
Schulter on this point), is that thirds are just not used in functional
harmonic roles in this pentatonic repertoire, only the intervals separated
by two and four tones. The latter are octaves, but the former can vary
between a diminished fifth and a major sixth in size.

>
> >To be complete, I should note that there is an informal, non-systematic,
> use
> >of "mistuned unisons" between instruments in Java. This increases volume
>
> Well, it doesn't increase RMS, but does increase peak volume.
>
>

And with metallophones or gongs, peak volume is everything.

One more about Cianjuran or Kechapi-Suling music. If you're not familiar
with this music, you should be. It is forbidingly beautiful.

Daniel Wolf
Budapest

So is it 100-cent major thirds or 100-cent _wide_ major thirds? Or are they
really fourths?

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Wolf [mailto:djwolf1@matavnet.hu]
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 5:34 PM
To: tuning@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [tuning] Digest Number 1077

> Message: 23
> Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 16:42:01 -0500
> From: "Paul H. Erlich" <PERLICH@ACADIAN-ASSET.COM>
> Subject: Really small major thirds
>
> Daniel Wolf wrote,
>
> >(e.g. van Zanten's
> >study of Cianjuran showed a preference for major thirds around 100 cents)
>
> What's this about?

Cianjuran is a Sundanese (West Java) genre of music for an ensemble that
may include voice, rebab (spike fiddle), and always includes a suling
(fipple flute) and one or two kechapi (long zithers). Van Zanten did a lot
of pitch measurements and the large thirds in the pélog, sorog and degung
tunings tended to be wide. Another criteria (and greetings to Margo
Schulter on this point), is that thirds are just not used in functional
harmonic roles in this pentatonic repertoire, only the intervals separated
by two and four tones. The latter are octaves, but the former can vary
between a diminished fifth and a major sixth in size.

>
> >To be complete, I should note that there is an informal, non-systematic,
> use
> >of "mistuned unisons" between instruments in Java. This increases volume
>
> Well, it doesn't increase RMS, but does increase peak volume.
>
>

And with metallophones or gongs, peak volume is everything.

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