Re: limited usage? was: MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

prophecyspirit@aol.com wrote:

>
> All the just tuning systems I read about besides mine have very
> limited usage, and that to modern music. My scale will play virtually
> any Western World music.
>
> Pauline

Dear Pauline

I don't know which just tunings you've read about but here are a few
reflections to comment on your statement above.

I've just finished nine intensive 9 - 12 hour days as Musical Director
of a theatre group. All the music was in Just Intonation. I used a
slendro and two pelogs throughout. See http://www.unsork.info/tuning

I was playing constantly throughout the nine days and the other
musicians, cast members, were in contact with the instruments and hence
the tunings, for hours each day. I would reckon that I can now speak
with some authority on just scale usage.

One of my objectives was to produce a soundscape that couldn't be pinned
down in time or geographical location, ie, non-Western, non-Eastern, and
according to the audience in a question and answer session after the
first show, I met with some measure of success. The suspension of
disbelief was matched by a musical suspension of spatial and temporal
reference.

Having said that some audience members heard strands of plainchant,
others hints of raga, hardly "modern" musics.

Another thing is that I, or rather my ears, never tired of making music
with the just scales. Every line and combination of motifs has a
freshness and the tiniest variation in accent or contour becomes
important. This compares favourably with how I used to feel after a week
of performing Bach or Villa-Lobos on the guitar in 12 tet. Even great
music left me jaded.

So I would thoroughly recommend that you try out some of the tunings I
use because they now have some "road muscle" and I am delighted to say
that they have few if any limitations, unless, as I suspect, you are
referring to four part harmony of course. I would counter that the use
of strings and of sustaining metallophones creates (IMHO) some of the
most compelling harmonies you will ever hear. In this case you learn to
create the harmonic language over hours and days of trial and error
rather than by prior knowledge of the theoretical harmonic resources of
the scale, as in 12 tet.

Anyway, given what I've said, subjective though it may be, I can't think
what else you might want from a scale, so I would have to disagree with
your statement.

Kind Regards

In a message dated 10/21/02 6:56:59 AM Central Daylight Time,
alison.monteith3@which.net writes:

> I can't think
> what else you might want from a scale, so I would have to disagree with
> your statement.
>
What I want from a scale is a practical just scale that will accurately
reproduce music written for tempered scales--MT, WM, ET, etc. that usually
had 12 notes to the octave. My scale does that.

Pauline

prophecyspirit@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 10/21/02 6:56:59 AM Central Daylight Time,
> alison.monteith3@which.net writes:
>
>
>
>> I can't think
>> what else you might want from a scale, so I would have to disagree
>> with
>> your statement.
>
>
> What I want from a scale is a practical just scale that will
> accurately reproduce music written for tempered scales--MT, WM, ET,
> etc. that usually had 12 notes to the octave. My scale does that.
>
> Pauline

Now that makes things clearer.

Regards

--- In tuning@y..., prophecyspirit@a... wrote:
> What I want from a scale is a practical just scale that will
> accurately reproduce music written for tempered scales--MT,
> WM, ET, etc. that usually had 12 notes to the octave. My scale
> does that.

And seems like it works well for you (and anyone else who would like to work in a similar manner). Just bear in mind (no pun intended) that some people neither need or desire practicality, are interested in creating anew as opposed to reproducing, and would look to more (or many more, or less) notes to an octave.

IOW, there are so *very* many musics waiting to be made!

Cheers,
Jon

In a message dated 10/21/02 1:21:58 PM Central Daylight Time,
JSZANTO@ADNC.COM writes:

> Just bear in mind (no pun intended) that some people neither need or desire
> practicality, are interested in creating anew as opposed to reproducing,
> and would look to more (or many more, or less) notes to an octave.
>
Jim,

My just scale has 22 notes per octave. My JT scale merges three notes into 19
per octave. As scales with only 12 notes to the octave make many grave
compromises. The result is dissonant chords that in nature are very
harmonious! A proper jsut scale has to provide harmonic minor 7th and 9th
chords for each of the seven diatonic notes.

Pauline

Pauline,

--- In tuning@y..., prophecyspirit@a... wrote:
> Jim,

Must be the stars: Bill thought I was Joe, you think I'm Jim... :)

> My just scale has 22 notes per octave....

...and the rest. Right, I understand all of that. Your intended use is not in question at all, just that there are many other approaches, for many other kinds of music. By saying that other tunings "limit" their use, or create other impracticalities, you seem to imply that they are either less valid or less useful. I don't happen to agree with that.

In the least!

Cheers,
Jon