About pedagogy

It was ³Orchestral Tuning².

There was many exchanges about tuning pedagogy, few days ago.
I understood there how it was going on in the USA. Also, that many of you
had a complete classic training and came alone in tuning research.
I find interesting to speak a little bit about that because I teach about
tuning in a musical school in France.
There, most of the students are interested in variété (french word that I
don¹t now how to translate well. I presume you will do it wellŠ) music and
few of them in Jazz. It seems that about 20% of them will be professionnal
musicians, which is not bad if we know that in French conservatory of music
(classic), only less than 3% get in the profession.
I started, 2 years ago with a workshop, 2 hours a week (about 60 hours a
year) and 13 students. I introduce all of them to play harmonic flutes (that
I previously made in plastic - PVC in french ­ two times longer than the
usuals ethnics one, more easy to manage in group). That was a good way to
manage a group with very different people (experience, instruments practice,
ageŠ). So all of them was there beginner. 4 objectifs in this : to whet
créativité, to practice collectif playing (in a very different way than
usual), to practice improvisation, to gave a minimum of culture générale (in
France also , it is quite incredible that musicians don¹t even think that a
music scale have a historyŠ).
In this workshop, I manage few theorical sessions about what is the sound
(mostly to understand harmonic scale and manipulation of ratio).
This works pretty well and the director of the school asked me to manage in
a different way because I didn¹t want to come every weeks to the school for
2 hours (far away from my home). So, last year, I made only theorical ­ no
pratice ­ on sound, harmonic scale and manipulation of ratio. With a very
strong limit that many people in the small group (10 people (volontary) of
130 students in the school) stop normal school very early. My bet was : I
must be understood by anyone of them (I have here a very good argument,
which is : I stopped school myself when I was 15 old). I did this in 4 days
and I will soon make two more days on arabic and indian scales (with also a
time to think about that we call in french ³fusion² (different styles mixing
ethnic an usual tonal or modal occidental music), necessary in my mind
because of the french colonialist past).
Next year, I want absolutely speak about the new ways of tuning (not only
ethnic). It¹s why I came on this tuning list few weeks ago.
In France this subject doesn¹t seem to interest much people. We have Jacques
Dudon, who make a very good job in both hand, a very powerfull research on
cohérence differentielle (and other thingsŠ) and in his musical production
with synthèse photosonique. His research is published by CNRS (the very best
level in research in France) and his music is fascinating quite everybody,
even people far away from tuning research. He is now going strongly on
psycho-acoustique problems.
But I don¹t want to make a lesson on Jacques Dudon, I want to open doors !
It¹s why I joined this group (tuning list) ; I need more material to show
that it¹s not only a french crazy one (I love himŠ) but a lot of people
every where who are going on this matter. I could speak about Partch (for
exemple) but I don¹t want to. I want to speak about people doing today. I
want to push my students in a research way and stimulate invention, even I
don¹t care what they will do with thisŠ

I hope you will excuse my very bad English writing (also that you will
understand the matter I speak aboutŠ).

Anyway, i have very good time reading you, even I am sure I lose a lot,
because my poor experience of your language (english and technical ; great
thanks to Monzo for his very usefull dictionnary).

Any one of you can contact me, off list, to tell me about his experience in
music playing, teaching, records production and so onŠ but, please, try to
use a language simple as possible (it¹s because my headache).

Gilles Patrat