Freer way of working with Blackjack

I'm noticing of late that I'm getting even *better* results going
more by *ear* in Blackjack than slavishing following theoretical
patterns of common-tone harmony, which I did before.

I *still* use the lattice, but I do lots of freer things and if I
want a "minorish" sound I just look at the tetrads pointing inward on
the lattice and "majorish" pointing outward... and special effects
like Blackjack "magic chords" are all there for the asking as well...

But better if not totally planned out pre-compositionally. Surprise,
surprise... :)

J. Pehrson

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson <jpehrson@r...>"
<jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> I'm noticing of late that I'm getting even *better* results going
> more by *ear* in Blackjack than slavishing following theoretical
> patterns of common-tone harmony, which I did before.
>
> I *still* use the lattice, but I do lots of freer things and if I
> want a "minorish" sound I just look at the tetrads pointing inward
on
> the lattice and "majorish" pointing outward... and special effects
> like Blackjack "magic chords" are all there for the asking as
well...
>
> But better if not totally planned out pre-compositionally.
Surprise,
> surprise... :)
>
> J. Pehrson

Joseph,

By all means let your ear take precedence over any theory as you go
through the creative process!

Here's another surprise: Remember a year ago that I said that your
Blackjack trombone piece had inspired me to want to start composing?
Well, now that the notation development project is nearing
completion, I'm finally getting around to it. I just started a
composition a couple of weeks ago in my 17-tone well temperament,
using a 9-tone MOS scale subset as an organizing principle. I had
worked out the underlying theory behind it in 1978 and taped a short
improvisation on the Scalatron using it. My new piece is based on an
idea from that improvisation, and the experience of hearing it played
in real time (from a midi file) as I work on it is something new,
exciting, and fun (and, yes, liberating!) for me. (If only I'd had
this in the 70's.)

But I don't compose at the computer -- I discover things and develop
them at the Scalatron keyboard, just like I did back then. The
theory serves as a starting point or frame of reference, but my ear
is the judge of where I go from there -- of what works and what
doesn't, of what is good and what might be better. And how wonderful
it is to come up with an effective chord progression that very likely
no one has ever heard before! (What's a magic chord, anyway?
Something you pull out of a hat?)

So I'm delighted to hear that you're experiencing some of the same
feelings as I am now that you're in the process of
becoming "liberated."

--George

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "gdsecor <gdsecor@y...>"

/tuning/topicId_41828.html#41831
>
> Joseph,
>
> By all means let your ear take precedence over any theory as you go
> through the creative process!
>
> Here's another surprise: Remember a year ago that I said that your
> Blackjack trombone piece had inspired me to want to start
composing? Well, now that the notation development project is
nearing completion, I'm finally getting around to it.

***Hi George!

Well, this is terrific news, and I'm glad to hear you found my
trombone piece such an "inspiration." I trust you've heard the live
rendition of it as performed by Chris Washburne?:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2970/2970539.html

> And how wonderful
> it is to come up with an effective chord progression that very
likely no one has ever heard before!

***Yes, absolutely! I agree it's one of the most engaging parts of
this!

(What's a magic chord, anyway?
> Something you pull out of a hat?)
>

***In the Blackjack scale it would be a suspended chord that would be
represented in 72-tET as: G:Bv:F<:C#v, for example... nice as
transitional material...

best,

Joseph