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Bending 12Tet doublestops to relative just consonance

🔗bonkox@yahoo.com

3/11/2001 11:27:59 AM

I have a question about player preferences regarding using just
intervals (3rds and 6ths) with 12tet.

It's easy to bend the minor 3rd up 15 cents* to the just intonation.
So playing diads of R-m3 or m3-R and m3-5 are fairly sraightforward.
Bend the out-of-tune m3 up to just. (I'm rounding off, the
major/minor thirds and 6ths are off by 14 and 16 cent intervals, but
I don't remember which is which.)

But with diads involving say, the just major 3rd, this requires an 85
cent bend up from the m3. Not a problem on elec guitar, but
problematic for double course instruments such as octave mandolin.
But I could leave the major 3rd alone and bend the other interval up
15 cents (R- M3, M3-R, M3-5th) so that the two notes are consonant
together, but now I've pushed the R or the 5th out-of-tune in
relation to the root of the chord I'm playing over.

Solo, I think I'd rather have consonant diads (of longer held note
lengths) both 15cents sharp rather than having the R/5th "in" and the
mjor 3rd "out".

Any comments about which is preferable? (I know bending the minor
3rd up to a just M3 would the best option, when "possible")

B Knox