Re: Harmonic singing over a drone

Hello there,

I've had a little go at singing the partials over a cello voice as a drone,
and it is rather fun.

Here is a midi clip of a cello note alternating with the partials played on recorder.
http://members.nbci.com/tune_smithy/partials/cello_c2_partials.mid

I've done just the first 12 (to include 11/1), though one can easily go on
and pick out more of them.

Try listening to the partial in the note that follows it.

The partials are at the correct volumes relative to each other for
a typical cello voice, though played louder than in the cello note
that follows.

One should be able to pick the lower ones easily.

If you don't hear the higher ones straight away, ask yourself if
the note from the recorder seems to continue to sound into the
cello voice, like a kind of echo, or like the resonance you hear in
a room after you play a note. Or try singing them.

Then, my question for 12-tet perfect pitch musicians - do the
7/1 etc partials sound "out of tune".

Or, do they just sound out of tune as separate notes, but somehow okay
as part of the cello voice? If so, why? I imagine they must, as the
partials of a cello are really loud, - a loud solo cello would have
partials as strong as many instruments in the orchestra. So, say
in a cello concerto, if one heard the partials of the cello as
out of tune, they would really stand out. But musicians with 12-tet
perfect pitch apparently aren't bothered by this. I wonder why not?

Maybe doesn't apply to any on the list, or just those who have
come to microtonal music recently from 12-tet. However, could try
it out with your friends, and see what they say?

Here is a fractal tune with the cello playing in pentatonic 12-tet,
and above it, recorder playing selections from the first 25 partials
of each cello note, plus some percussion.
http://members.nbci.com/tune_smithy/partials/cello_with_partials.mid

I suppose one would have to say it is in 12-tet.

However, I think one would notice if the pitches of the higher partials
of the cellos in an orchestra were as noticeable as this!

Also perhaps gives one some idea of what 12-tet would sound like
to someone who had never heard it before, and was used to just intonation
- very strange I imagine. (Though probably fascinating too, in a way
we can't quite imagine.)

I have feeling we would notice the partials more if not so used to 12-tet.

Robert

Hi there,

Sorry. did this one with midi cut off of a minute, so here it is again:

http://members.nbci.com/tune_smithy/partials/cello_c2_partials.mid

Robert