Message from Prent Rodgers

I got a nice response from Prent Rodgers concerning the use of the
Partch Tonality Diamond in his applet which I'm forwarding on. I
don't have _Genesis_ right here at the moment, but I will check
the "alternate" diamond reference he mentions...

JP

Joseph,

Thanks for your note.

I built the arrangement from a message someone sent to the tuning
list many years ago. I sent a request to the list for someone to draw
the diamond, and that is what came back. Several years later I bought
a copy of "Genesis of a Music" and noticed Partch's diamond on page
159, which was different from mine. On page 261 he has it the way I
use it, like his diamond marimba. "Diagram 17 - Block Plan for the
Diamond Marimba".

I have never built any instruments with the one on page 159. It would
be good to try it.

Mine:

F++
11 8
D+ D-
9 8 11 10
A++ Bb B-
7 4 9 5 11 6
G F# G G#
3 2 7 5 3 2 11 7
E E-- D# E++ E-
5 4 6 5 7 6 9 7 11 9
C C C C C C
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Ab A- A+ G++ A--
8 5 5 3 12 7 14 9 18 11
F Gb F E+
4 3 10 7 4 3 14 11
D++ D D--
8 7 10 9 12 11
A# B--
16 9 20 11
G--
16 11

I use C as a base because I had a bunch of instruments with C as a
base. No other reason.

Prent Rodgers
Mercer Island, WA

--- In tuning@y..., jpehrson@r... wrote:

/tuning/topicId_25358.html#25358

>
> I built the arrangement from a message someone sent to the tuning
> list many years ago. I sent a request to the list for someone to
draw the diamond, and that is what came back. Several years later I
bought
> a copy of "Genesis of a Music" and noticed Partch's diamond on page
> 159, which was different from mine. On page 261 he has it the way I
> use it, like his diamond marimba. "Diagram 17 - Block Plan for the
> Diamond Marimba".
>

This is interesting, then, since it means that Partch's Diamond
Marimba plan really is the same as the Prent Rodgers applet. I guess
I forgot about the "block plan" right next to the photo of the
physical Diamond Marimba. Yes, certainly, then, that would be the
one to try.

HOWEVER, it's interesting that Partch would change the order of the
ratios on the PHYSICAL instrument where the THEORETICAL diamond that
evolved from his theory on 159 is different...

Hmmm. I wonder why he changed it? And, I also wonder if
the "theoretical" diamond would sound as good?

Anybody have any ideas??

Thanks!

_________ ______ _______
Joseph Pehrson

> Hmmm. I wonder why he changed it?

Just so that the pitches would ascend from left to right.

> And, I also wonder if
> the "theoretical" diamond would sound as good?

Well, it's the same pitches, though it might be more awkward to play
melodies with small steps.