Reply to Peter Frazer

I wrote,

>>Hi Peter!
>
>>How would your software handle a I-vi-ii-V-I progression? Or a I-IV-ii-V-I
>>progression?

Peter wrote,

>If you are talking chord progressions within a single key without re-tuning

>then my software will do nothing unusual.

Can you be more specific?

>If you were to modulate through a series of keys on key notes corresponding

>with those degrees of the original scale and re-tune to the new key note in

>each case then for both examples you would arrive back at in the original
>key at a slightly flatter pitch (assuming JI).

OK -- some people might have a problem with that, while others might not.
But what if you didn't modulate. How would the various chords be tuned?

P.S. It sounds like your software is trying to get at the idea of "adaptive
tuning". We've had long and arduous discussions on this list on the subject,
with John deLaubenfels leading the way in terms of actually implementing
some rather powerful ideas in his software ( http://www.adaptune.com
<http://www.adaptune.com> ). I invite you to look through the archives of
this list, starting from about two years ago, and to try to familiarize
yourself with the many issues that John and others have discussed. This is a
deep subject!

Cheers,
Paul

At 17:46 11/04/01 -0400, Paul H. Erlich wrote:

>I wrote,
>
> >>Hi Peter!
> >
> >>How would your software handle a I-vi-ii-V-I progression? Or a I-IV-ii-V-I
> >>progression?
>
>Peter wrote,
>
> >If you are talking chord progressions within a single key without re-tuning
>
> >then my software will do nothing unusual.
>
>Can you be more specific?

When I first encountered just intonation (about 17 years ago) I realized that modulating to a new key implied re-tuning some degrees of the scale relative to the new key note. I also realized that a computer music system had the potential to do so more or less instantaneously and thus free music from the compromise of equal temperament.

What my software does is provide the performer with an opportunity to make that switch to a new key tuning at a moment of their choice (by clicking a note on-screen or via an external pedal board or keyboard using a MIDI channel for the purpose). The software will then instantly re-tune using the current pitch of the new key note but treating it as the tonic of the new scale.

What it does not do is adjust the pitch of individual notes in the context of the chord they are part of. Unless you select the option to re-tune then the notes of chords will retain their tuning relative to the current key and tuning (just, mean-tone, well tempered, whatever).

>
> >If you were to modulate through a series of keys on key notes corresponding
>
> >with those degrees of the original scale and re-tune to the new key note in
>
> >each case then for both examples you would arrive back at in the original
> >key at a slightly flatter pitch (assuming JI).
>
>OK -- some people might have a problem with that, while others might not.
>But what if you didn't modulate. How would the various chords be tuned?
>
>P.S. It sounds like your software is trying to get at the idea of "adaptive
>tuning". We've had long and arduous discussions on this list on the subject,
>with John deLaubenfels leading the way in terms of actually implementing
>some rather powerful ideas in his software ( http://www.adaptune.com
><http://www.adaptune.com> ). I invite you to look through the archives of
>this list, starting from about two years ago, and to try to familiarize
>yourself with the many issues that John and others have discussed. This is a
>deep subject!
>

Thank you Paul. I do not doubt that this is a deep subject and I look forward to reading the archives when I have more time. I am a software engineer with a deep love of music and have written my software on the basis of ideas that have been around for a long time. I will try to catch up with some of the latest ideas in future versions.

with regards,
Peter Frazer.
www.midicode.com

Hi Peter,

I understand your remarks, but I'm still wondering about this:

> >>Hi Peter!
> >
> >>How would your software handle a I-vi-ii-V-I progression? Or a
I-IV-ii-V-I
> >>progression?

In other words, what would these chords sound like if you didn't switch keys
during performance? Or is this completely dependent on the user's initial
inputs into the program?

-Paul

At 15:07 12/04/01 -0400, Paul H. Erlich wrote:
>Hi Peter,
>
>I understand your remarks, but I'm still wondering about this:
>
> > >>Hi Peter!
> > >
> > >>How would your software handle a I-vi-ii-V-I progression? Or a
>I-IV-ii-V-I
> > >>progression?
>
>In other words, what would these chords sound like if you didn't switch keys
>during performance? Or is this completely dependent on the user's initial
>inputs into the program?
>
>-Paul

I'm not quite sure what you're getting at Paul. If you don't switch tuning to a new key note then in terms of the tuning the intervals will be as you would expect in the tunings you have selected. If you want to know what it sounds like, please listen to it. The download is free (demo version) and takes about 10 minutes.

Peter Frazer.
www.midicode.com

I wrote,

>>In other words, what would these chords sound like if you didn't switch
keys
>>during performance? Or is this completely dependent on the user's initial
>>inputs into the program?

Peter Frazer wrote,

>I'm not quite sure what you're getting at Paul. If you don't switch tuning

>to a new key note then in terms of the tuning the intervals will be as you
>would expect in the tunings you have selected.

Well then it sounds like your answer is "it's completely dependent on the
user's initial inputs into the program"!

Thanks, that's all I wanted to know.

Cheers,
Paul